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February 17, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Sharing Our Faith, Spiritual Gifts

HOSPITALITY

Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. [Leviticus 19:33-34a (NLT)]

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. [Romans 12: 13 (NLT)]

Hospitality: the act of being friendly and welcoming to guests and visitors
Hospitable: providing good conditions for living or growing [Cambridge Dictionary]

IMG_0650-cropaweb

Good news for those who panicked at yesterday’s message about hospitality—Christian hospitality isn’t limited to house guests and dinner parties. While hospitality can include a welcome into our homes, it also can be as simple as a welcome into our lives. It can be as effortless as a “Hello” or “How are you?” and as easy as a handshake, hug or smile.

When in Florida, I take photographs on Sunday mornings for our church’s website. We often have more than a thousand worshippers, many of whom are visitors. The worship setting is out doors in the city park, the dress is casual, dogs are welcome, and the service and music are somewhat unconventional, which all make for some great photo ops. Since I’ve never considered myself a photographer and use a simple point-and-shoot camera, I hesitated to accept the assignment when given to me. God (and a nameless friend), however, would not let me say “No!”

At first, I kept my distance and felt a bit like a voyeur as I shot using just my telephoto lens. Going up to strangers and actually speaking to them, let alone photographing them, took me way out of my comfort zone. God, however, kept nudging me and, instead of shooting people from afar, I started venturing up to them and asking to take a photo. Eventually, I realized that while my name tag identifies me as “photographer” my true job is that of welcomer, answerer of questions, listener, encourager, dog fan, baby admirer, direction giver, and friend. The camera just affords me the opportunity to walk through the park to fulfill those other rolls. I’ve hugged a woman who confided she was too sad to have her photo taken that day, comforted an upset mother, explained to visitors what we do when it rains, invited people to evening communion at the beach, pointed the way to the refreshments and food pantry drop-off, taken photos for people with their cameras, reassured many women my age (and older) of their beauty, thanked people for their service, and prayed with strangers. In short, I’ve practiced hospitality and love. I now understand that the number of photos taken is nowhere near as important as the number of people greeted.

Welcoming people into my home and at my table is something I enjoy and do well. Not all of us, however, have homes, resources, family situations and time that allow for home hospitality. Nevertheless, we are all called to practice hospitality and are given numerous opportunities to do that outside of our homes. While they may not be like the foreigners mentioned in Leviticus, there always are people who need a welcoming smile or a kind word. This sort of hospitality, this way of showing love, has proved a challenge for me, but it has been a tremendously rewarding one. I now understand that God’s purpose in having me take pictures has less to do with the church website and a great deal more to do with teaching me about love and service. Hospitality is simply servanthood at its basic level: treating everyone as you would like to be treated and loving others as you love yourself. Whether we are gifted with hospitality or not, we all can be hospitable!

Thank you, God, for the teaching tasks of life. Keep them coming; there is much I still need to learn!

And he will answer, “I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.” And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. [Matthew 25:45-46 (NLT)]

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January 13, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Love & Works, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count

THE LIZARD TRAP

She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden. First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. [Proverbs 31:16-17 (MSG)]

brown anole - florida The Proverbs 31 woman (or man) has what our Florida pastor calls “opportunity awareness.” Where others may see an unplowed field, he or she sees a vineyard. Their vision is not just of what exists now; it is of what can exist in the future. A perfect example of “opportunity awareness” was demonstrated recently by a child who sold a lizard trap to our pastor after church. This little boy gathered up plastic containers from that Sunday’s treats and cut small holes in their lids. To catch a lizard, one just had to put a little food in the box and a lizard would climb in and be trapped. He even had two lizards in another container to demonstrate his product! This little boy didn’t see a plastic carton destined for the recycling bin—he saw a way to capture lizards (and to earn some money).

God presents us with opportunities all of the time; we just have to open our eyes to the possibilities. Spencer Smith worked for 3M and was trying to create a super-strong adhesive when he discovered a somewhat useless un-sticky glue. A solution without a problem, it was nearly five years before one of his colleagues saw its possibilities. A choir member, he tired of losing the paper bookmarks in his hymn book. He tried coating his paper markers with Smith’s glue and Post-it Notes were the result. George de Mestral took a look at the burrs that got caught in his dog’s coat when hiking. Instead of seeing an annoyance, he saw the possibility of making a fabric fastener that would mimic the burrs’ microscopic hooks. His idea was met with resistance and laughter but, since his vision resulted in Velcro, I imagine he was the one who ended up laughing. Caleb and Joshua saw a land with promise but the other scouts saw only giants. When the Apostle Paul sat in a Roman prison, he didn’t see barred doors; he saw an opportunity to write to the early church and to witness to the jailed and their guards. Surrounded by a crowd after he and John healed a crippled man, Peter saw a congregation to whom he could preach.

So what do these inventors, an eleven-year old budding entrepreneur, Israelite scouts, and early Christian evangelists have to do with us? The French scientist, Louis Pasteur said, “In the field of observation, chance only favours the prepared mind.” These people saw more than what was right in front of them—they saw possibility and potential and, more important, they were prepared to do something about it. God continually presents us with fields that seem barren, boxes that look empty, things that don’t work the way we anticipated, burr-like annoyances, unbeatable foes, locked doors, and people with questions. Yet, in all of these circumstances, God provides us with opportunities to serve and witness for Him with our lives and words. Every situation (both good and bad) comes with an opportunity to be Jesus to someone. But, as Pasteur pointed out, we need to be prepared, both to see and to do.

Remember as you go about your day that you may be the only Jesus some of your friends, neighbors, and family will ever see. [Wanda Brunstetter]

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. [Thomas Edison]

Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. … Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. [Colossians 4:2,5 (MSG)]

Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. [Galatians 6:10 (MSG)]

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January 11, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Love & Works, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith

RAINDROPS FALLING ON MY HEAD

As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! [Romans 12:11 (ERV)]

Do your best to be the kind of person God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who has no reason to be ashamed of his work, one who applies the true teaching in the right way. [2 Timothy 2:15 (ERV)]

It rained in southwest Florida yesterday. While that is of little interest to most of you (especially if you are experiencing an Arctic blast in the north), it was of concern to our church. We have one of the most beautiful churches in the area—designed by God (with a little help from the park district)—but it has a leaky roof. Actually, since we meet outside in a city park, we have no roof at all! While God and the weatherman seem to cooperate most Sundays, every once in a while our sanctuary has mud puddles and the chairs are wet. Many find shelter in the nearby gazebo while the early birds crowd onto the band shell with the band and singers. The truly hardy (and latecomers) hunker under their umbrellas in the rain.

Pastor was asked if there would be an abbreviated service because of the weather. As long as we were without tornado warnings or lightning, the service would proceed as planned. If, in spite of the inclement weather, people came to our church, a full worship service is what they wanted and what they’d get. Without a doubt, I am sure there was a least someone there yesterday who desperately needed the entire service, not just a Reader’s Digest version that had been condensed because of the weather. I’m sure there was at least one person whose heart was moved by the words of Amazing Grace and more than one who needed to hear every word of Pastor’s message about truthfulness. There probably were many more who craved laughter and truly needed to hear each one of his jokes. There were many who were there, not just for music and message, but also for Christian fellowship. Along with worship, they needed the welcome, kind words, smiles, handshakes, and hugs that came with the service.

Yes, we are saved by faith alone. All the work in the world does not mean salvation and even our grandest efforts will not get us into heaven. That doesn’t mean, however, that we are not to put our best effort into everything we do for the Lord and His church. God expects a first-class effort, not a half-hearted attempt, even when it’s raining.

While those who passed by the park may have seen a rather bedraggled group of church-goers gathered together and trying to stay dry, I think God looked down from his heavenly throne and saw a grand cathedral filled with joyful worshippers. He didn’t hear just a few voices raised in praise, he heard a choir much grander than that famed one in Utah! He saw people expressing love—for one another and for Him. Yesterday, God was just pouring a little of his goodness down on us and I pray that His goodness continues to grow because everyone did his or her best during worship service. After all, “Into each life some rain must fall.”

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary. [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]

May the clouds in the skies above pour goodness on the earth like rain. May the earth open up to let salvation grow. And may goodness grow with that salvation, which I, the Lord, created. [Isaiah 45:8 (ERV)]

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December 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Love & Works, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith

THE ALONE

Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. [1 Timothy 5:3 (NLT)]

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. [Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)]

great blue heron
In Netflix’s The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, there is a funny scene in which Jacqueline, a recently divorced out-of-touch wealthy socialite, complains that her husband got their maid in the divorce. “I’ve been in this dress for two days because there’s no one here to unzip it. I took a shower in it and now it’s rusted shut.” I thought of her grievance as I struggled to get dressed last night. Needing my husband’s assistance, I joked that I’ll have to keep him around since we don’t have a maid.

I then thought about the widows and divorcees on our street who have no one to zip and unzip or hook and unhook all of those closures on the back of their clothing. How do they cope? Do they discard a major part of their wardrobe when they lose their spouse? Do they arrive at work or parties partially dressed? While that’s a possibility, what about when they get home? Do they wake their neighbors at midnight or, like Jacqueline, sleep in their attire? Dogs and cats are a great comfort but, without opposable thumbs, they aren’t much good at zippers or buttons.

The Bible is very clear about caring for widows. Granted, the plight of a widow thousands of years ago was far worse than today. It was a man-ruled world, women had minimal inheritance rights, and honorable employment wasn‘t readily available. Yet, today one in three women still live in poverty or at the brink of it, so there are economic issues to address. It is more than just a person’s economic status, however, that should concern us when we think of people who’ve lost a spouse, whether through death or divorce.

As I walk through the park each Sunday taking photos before church, I am struck by the number of people (both men and women) who used to be part of a pair and now are alone. I am painfully aware that one half of every couple eventually will be widowed. There are many men whose experience in the kitchen consists of making a PB&J or opening a bag of chips and a tub of dip. There are some men who ran corporations but never ran the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer or vacuum. There are women whose husbands did all the driving, who’ve never handled the finances or done the taxes, and never eaten out alone or taken a trip by themselves. There are many who will sit alone at their table tonight, who have no one to complain to when customer service doesn’t serve, who have no one to laugh with at the funny YouTube video, who have no one with whom to share their deepest secrets, and have no one with whom to walk while holding hands. I’ve been part of a couple for nearly half a century. Believe me, if my husband goes before me, I will miss him for far more than his assistance with zippers and hooks.

God’s tender concern for the bereaved is declared through all of Scripture. While today’s widowed may not necessarily need our legal and economic protection the way they did in days of old, they still need our love and compassion. The command to care for the widowed is as valid today as it was centuries ago. As we gather with family over the holidays, let us not forget those without family, whether men or women, single, widowed or divorced. May we keep them in our prayers but, more important, let’s reach out our hands in friendship and love (and maybe with an offer to help with difficult zippers!)

This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. [Deuteronomy 16:11 (NLT)]

Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. [Psalm 68:4-6 (NLT)]

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November 5, 2015

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God's Plan, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Nature, Peace of God, Sharing Our Faith, Spiritual Gifts

WHY DO I DO IT?

Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? [Romans 10:13-14 (TLB)]

I’d been asked to answer why Jesus moved me to write a Christian daily devotional. There certainly are times I ask myself that same question. I wondered how to reply to that query as I walked the swamp/bird sanctuary this morning.

Originally a city girl, I never would have expected spending at least one day a week on this boardwalk in the midst of water, ferns, cypress, herons, hawks, spiders and gators. A private person, I would never have expected to share my faith journey so publicly either. While contemplating why I do it, I started taking pictures of the swamp. I silently complained that, no matter how many shots I take, I’ve never managed to capture the beauty, mystery and sense of peace I find in this strange place. Neither words nor photos can capture why I love it so—and yet I continue to try. I will admit that I didn’t love it at first. We first visited out of curiosity but became intrigued enough to come again and again and learn more about it. Now, whenever we have visitors, the swamp is a “must do” activity. Being so familiar with it, we can show them where the deer might be found, the gator family lives, the scarlet hibiscus and blue flag iris hide, the baby owls roost, and the woodpeckers nest—all of which we missed on our earlier visits. We can explain how the strangler fig grows, about the cypress knees, which wading bird they’re seeing, and what the seemingly dead resurrection fern will look like after a rain—none of which we knew when we first visited. We didn’t love the swamp at first but, as we came to know it, we grew to love it and want to share that love with others.

So, what compels me to post a Christian devotion five times a week? Just as I want to share my love of the swamp with our guests, even though I’m neither botanist nor zoologist, God has somehow tasked me with the sharing of my love of Jesus with strangers, even though I’m neither theologian nor minister! He’s given me the desire to share my faith and my failings, the peace of God and the struggles of a follower, the comfort of His presence and the guidance of His word so that others can experience the peace, love and joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus and reading the Bible.

My words and photos can’t do justice to the swamp so, if you’re ever in Southwest Florida, be sure to spend some time at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. You’ve just got to experience it for yourself. The words of my devotions can’t do justice to God, either. My prayer is that people will find them interesting enough to encourage them to delve into God’s word for themselves and take their own journey of faith. You’ve got to experience God firsthand and, as we found with the swamp, once you know Him, you’ll love Him. Unlike our favorite swamp, however, there’s no admission fee.

A true faith in Jesus Christ will not suffer us to be idle. No, it is an active, lively, restless principle; it fills the heart, so that it cannot be easy till it is doing something for Jesus Christ. [George Whitefield]

When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! … [Peter and John replied] “We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.” [Acts 4:13, 20 (TLB)]

For just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me—I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t. If I were volunteering my services of my own free will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. [1 Corinthians 9:16-17 (TLB)]

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September 16, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Love & Works, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! [Psalm 145:10 (ESV)]

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. [Isaiah 60:1 (ESV)]

“I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” [Lesbia Scott]
I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true,
Who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green;
They were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.
They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, and his love made them strong;
And they followed the right for Jesus’ sake the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;
And there’s not any reason, no, not the least, why I shouldn’t be one too.
They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
In church, by the sea, in the house next door;
They are saints of God, whether rich or poor, and I mean to be one too.

As a girl, one of my favorite hymns was, “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.” I joyfully sang of the doctor (Luke), queen (Margaret of Scotland), shepherdess (Joan of Arc), soldier (Martin of Tours), priest (John Donne), and the one slain by a beast (Ignatius of Antioch). Although I wasn’t anxious to be devoured by lions, the thought of being in company of such a stellar cast of Christians gave me great joy. The fact that I, simply by knowing Jesus and by loving to do His will, could be one, too, was even more exciting.

Although it’s been years since last singing it, I thought of that hymn when touring the Cathedral Church of St. Francis in Santa Fe recently. Several saints had been beautifully depicted in the stain glass windows. It was a sunny day and the light shone magnificently through the colored glass. I was reminded that the saints of the New Testament weren’t dead; they were living individuals who had dedicated themselves to the worship and service of the one true God as revealed through Jesus Christ. In fact, all Christians are called to be saints of God—to live their lives in a way that reflects their faith in Christ. We all can be saints of God if we allow the Son’s light to shine through us as brilliantly as the sun did in those windows.

Saint: one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ. [Easton’s Bible Dictionary]

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)]