Growing up in Texas, I learned that when someone asked, “How are you?” they rarely wanted an honest answer. Anything other than “Fine,” or “Great,” tended to throw the conversation off course. When I lived in Minnesota, an understated culture, I discovered that the appropriate response to “How are you?” was “Not too bad.” When I tried to use that response in Texas, it raised all kinds of questions. But, whether in Minnesota or Texas, I discovered that African Americans had developed an entirely different response. When I asked my African American friends, “How are you?” they often responded, “I’m blessed.”
In my youth, I stopped using the word “blessed” or “blessing.” I thought it seemed shallow and artificially religious, something you say to sound religious when you don’t know what else to say. I wasn’t even sure what it meant. But, as I have grown older, I have changed my mind. I think my African American friends got it right. I am blessed.
Jesus used this term when he introduced the Sermon On the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit … blessed are those who mourn … blessed are the meek … blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness … blessed are the merciful … blessed are the pure in heart … blessed are the peacemakers … blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” (Matthew 5:3-10).
Being blessed has nothing to do with prosperity, health, comfort or security. It is all about a relationship with God that blesses us whatever our circumstances happen to be. In fact, those who suffer poverty, illness and difficulty are more likely to experience God’s blessing than those who are wealthy and well off.
I grew up listening to Billy Graham each week and looked forward to listening to the Hour of Decision. Dr. Graham’s messages, books and, most of all, his conduct always inspired me. He ended every broadcast by saying, “God bless you real good.” It wasn’t proper grammar, but we all understood what he meant and, when we listened to him we always felt blessed.
Liturgical churches still conclude their worship services with the “benediction,” a blessing of the worshippers as they leave the worship experience. In African American churches the benediction is the high point of the service. Many churches end with a rush toward the doors to get a jump on parking lot traffic and early seating at nearby restaurants. It seems to me that we lose something when we don’t take the time to experience God’s blessing and to bless one another.
When God called Abraham to follow Him, he promised him He would bless him and make him a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:2). God’s blessing of Abraham and his descendents sometimes resulted in great difficulty. Perhaps the secret to following Jesus is discovering how to live life very day with awareness that we are, indeed, blessed, and seeking ways to bless others.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Right Stuff
Fifty years ago today John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. I was in high school. Our science teacher slipped us out a side door and led us to his house a few blocks away where we crowded around his black and white television to watch the launch. The tiny speakers strained to recreate the thunder of the Mercury Atlas 6 rocket when it ignited on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. A shaky camera traced the flame that streaked through the sky hurtling John Glenn toward space. The rocket was little more than a beefed up Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, its warhead replaced by a space capsule. Within four hours, Glenn made three orbits of the earth, and then prepared for re-entry. An entire nation held its breath as Walter Cronkite described the potentially loose heat shield and the likelihood that Friendship 7 would burn up like a meteor.
Years later I visited the Smithsonian and viewed the space capsule in which Glenn made his historic flight. The capsule is about the size of a 1960’s Volkswagen Beetle. It was far less sophisticated than a Prius or a Ford Focus. Personal computers would not become available for another twenty years. Because of their discipline and courage, John Glenn and the other astronauts who blazed the first trails into space came to be known as men with “the right stuff.”
Few of us will ever experience a heroic moment like John Glenn experienced February 20, 1962. But each of us has the opportunity to be men and women with “the right stuff.” Every day we are called upon to live with courage, discipline and faith. Some face huge challenges.
When I think of people with the “right stuff,” I think of my friend Heather. Heather was born with cerebral palsy. She is confined to a wheel chair with limited use of one arm. She is unable to feed, bathe or clothe herself. But she is able to manipulate the joystick on her powered wheel. Although she struggles with a speech impediment, she is articulate and intelligent. As a freshman at Baylor University, Heather gave her life to Christ. Four years later she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in counseling. Three years after that, she completed a Master’s degree at Truett Seminary. Since I met her, she has made three trips to India to minister to those who have handicaps similar to her own. Last year she published her first children’s book, My Friends and I.
James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3). Peter wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Perhaps the fiftieth anniversary of John Glenn’s courageous ride into space can remind us that we must face life with courage and faith. That each of us can live with the “right stuff.”
Years later I visited the Smithsonian and viewed the space capsule in which Glenn made his historic flight. The capsule is about the size of a 1960’s Volkswagen Beetle. It was far less sophisticated than a Prius or a Ford Focus. Personal computers would not become available for another twenty years. Because of their discipline and courage, John Glenn and the other astronauts who blazed the first trails into space came to be known as men with “the right stuff.”
Few of us will ever experience a heroic moment like John Glenn experienced February 20, 1962. But each of us has the opportunity to be men and women with “the right stuff.” Every day we are called upon to live with courage, discipline and faith. Some face huge challenges.
When I think of people with the “right stuff,” I think of my friend Heather. Heather was born with cerebral palsy. She is confined to a wheel chair with limited use of one arm. She is unable to feed, bathe or clothe herself. But she is able to manipulate the joystick on her powered wheel. Although she struggles with a speech impediment, she is articulate and intelligent. As a freshman at Baylor University, Heather gave her life to Christ. Four years later she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in counseling. Three years after that, she completed a Master’s degree at Truett Seminary. Since I met her, she has made three trips to India to minister to those who have handicaps similar to her own. Last year she published her first children’s book, My Friends and I.
James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3). Peter wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Perhaps the fiftieth anniversary of John Glenn’s courageous ride into space can remind us that we must face life with courage and faith. That each of us can live with the “right stuff.”
Monday, February 13, 2012
Addictions
As I follow the news reports of Whitney Houston’s death I feel a sense of sadness and grief. Although the toxicologist reports will not be available for weeks, recent interviews with Houston and descriptions from those closest to her leave little doubt that her untimely death came as a result of drugs and addictions that were beyond her control.
Addictions are the demons of our day. Over the last three years we have watched Josh Hamilton battle his own addiction to drugs and alcohol. His most recent relapse reminds us how powerful and ever present these demons can be. In spite of the encouragement and help from his Ranger teammates who shunned alcohol in their victory celebrations out of deference to him, and in spite of Ian Kinsler’s efforts to get him home sober and safe, he still succumbed to the temptations that never leave him alone.
The sex addictions that took Tiger Woods down from the pinnacle of the sports world and destroyed his marriage have left him a shadow of his former self. He hasn’t won on the PGA in over two years. His meltdown on the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday illustrated the long and difficult battle he is still fighting to return to his former form.
Mexico illustrates the widespread problem of drug abuse and addiction. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the drug war in Mexico has claimed more than 47,000 lives since 2006. Last weekend mourners gathered in Lewisville, Texas to grieve the deaths of a missionary couple killed in their home, victims of the rising crime in that country.
The answers to addiction are not easy. In every case the personalities and issues creating and supporting the addictions are complex. But, perhaps the starting place for help is confession of our own human weakness and our need for deliverance. The Apostle Paul did this when he examined himself and cried out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Peter did the same when he fell in the bottom of his fishing boat and declared, “Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
One of the most dramatic stories in the Bible deals with a man addicted to destructive impulses. He was so mentally, psychologically and spiritually ill that he refused to wear clothes and lived among the tombs, attacking those who came near and inflicting himself with wounds. When Jesus encountered him He ordered the destructive legion of demons to depart from the man. They did so, entering a herd of swine that immediately rushed over a cliff and drowned themselves in the sea. When nearby residents arrived, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, sober, clothed and in his right mind. (Mark 5:1-20).
I have always found this a mysterious and puzzling story. I don’t know how to explain demons and spiritual forces that defy scientific examination. But, like everyone else, I have observed the demonic forces that destroy individuals, families and nations. I am also convinced of the difference Jesus Christ has made in my own life and I have seen Him change the lives of others.
Addictions are the demons of our day. Over the last three years we have watched Josh Hamilton battle his own addiction to drugs and alcohol. His most recent relapse reminds us how powerful and ever present these demons can be. In spite of the encouragement and help from his Ranger teammates who shunned alcohol in their victory celebrations out of deference to him, and in spite of Ian Kinsler’s efforts to get him home sober and safe, he still succumbed to the temptations that never leave him alone.
The sex addictions that took Tiger Woods down from the pinnacle of the sports world and destroyed his marriage have left him a shadow of his former self. He hasn’t won on the PGA in over two years. His meltdown on the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday illustrated the long and difficult battle he is still fighting to return to his former form.
Mexico illustrates the widespread problem of drug abuse and addiction. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the drug war in Mexico has claimed more than 47,000 lives since 2006. Last weekend mourners gathered in Lewisville, Texas to grieve the deaths of a missionary couple killed in their home, victims of the rising crime in that country.
The answers to addiction are not easy. In every case the personalities and issues creating and supporting the addictions are complex. But, perhaps the starting place for help is confession of our own human weakness and our need for deliverance. The Apostle Paul did this when he examined himself and cried out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Peter did the same when he fell in the bottom of his fishing boat and declared, “Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
One of the most dramatic stories in the Bible deals with a man addicted to destructive impulses. He was so mentally, psychologically and spiritually ill that he refused to wear clothes and lived among the tombs, attacking those who came near and inflicting himself with wounds. When Jesus encountered him He ordered the destructive legion of demons to depart from the man. They did so, entering a herd of swine that immediately rushed over a cliff and drowned themselves in the sea. When nearby residents arrived, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, sober, clothed and in his right mind. (Mark 5:1-20).
I have always found this a mysterious and puzzling story. I don’t know how to explain demons and spiritual forces that defy scientific examination. But, like everyone else, I have observed the demonic forces that destroy individuals, families and nations. I am also convinced of the difference Jesus Christ has made in my own life and I have seen Him change the lives of others.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Kingdom Preview
My wife and I like going to the movies. We don’t like all movies. We prefer comedies; light-hearted dramas and uplifting stories. Some that stand out over the years are Sea Biscuit and Secretariat (we like horse stories), The Blind Side, The Greatest Game Ever Played and Chariots of Fire (we like sports), Mr. Holland’s Opus, Freedom Writers, The Great Debaters and Akeelah and the Bee (we like movies about teachers making a difference). The best are usually based on true stories.
We try to get there early, grab a seat in the first row of the second section, you know, the one where you can prop your feet up on the rail in front of you. We settle in with our diet coke and popcorn, sit back and watch the previews of shows soon to be released. Like everyone else, we lean over and whisper to each other as we watch each trailer. “That one’s not for us,” or, “we’ll have to see that one.”
The Australian writer, Michael Frost, argues that the Christians and churches are to be like movie trailers for the Kingdom. We are to live in such a way that when others see us they say, “I want to be a part of that,” or ”I wish the world was like that.” This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Whether we like it or not, our churches and our lives are being viewed like movie trailers by others. When non-believers look at our churches and our lives, they are whispering to themselves and to one another saying, “I’ll have to check that out,” or, “I wouldn’t want to be part of that.”
Jesus presented the clearest preview of the Kingdom. He invited others to look at his life to see what the Kingdom looks like. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-21).
The early followers of Jesus practiced Kingdom living in such a way that others were drawn to them and to their churches. This is why the Christian faith exploded in the first three centuries. People saw previews of the Kingdom practiced in the churches and the lives of believers, and they wanted to be part of it.
This is also the reason Christianity is stumbling in our day. Too often churches and Christians are selfish and self-centered, fighting among themselves and with others for dominance and control. When others see this, like patrons at a theater, they whisper to themselves, “That’s not for me.”
Every church and every believer must live in such a way that others see God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is what Paul meant when he said, “But thanks be to God, who … manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).
We try to get there early, grab a seat in the first row of the second section, you know, the one where you can prop your feet up on the rail in front of you. We settle in with our diet coke and popcorn, sit back and watch the previews of shows soon to be released. Like everyone else, we lean over and whisper to each other as we watch each trailer. “That one’s not for us,” or, “we’ll have to see that one.”
The Australian writer, Michael Frost, argues that the Christians and churches are to be like movie trailers for the Kingdom. We are to live in such a way that when others see us they say, “I want to be a part of that,” or ”I wish the world was like that.” This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Whether we like it or not, our churches and our lives are being viewed like movie trailers by others. When non-believers look at our churches and our lives, they are whispering to themselves and to one another saying, “I’ll have to check that out,” or, “I wouldn’t want to be part of that.”
Jesus presented the clearest preview of the Kingdom. He invited others to look at his life to see what the Kingdom looks like. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-21).
The early followers of Jesus practiced Kingdom living in such a way that others were drawn to them and to their churches. This is why the Christian faith exploded in the first three centuries. People saw previews of the Kingdom practiced in the churches and the lives of believers, and they wanted to be part of it.
This is also the reason Christianity is stumbling in our day. Too often churches and Christians are selfish and self-centered, fighting among themselves and with others for dominance and control. When others see this, like patrons at a theater, they whisper to themselves, “That’s not for me.”
Every church and every believer must live in such a way that others see God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is what Paul meant when he said, “But thanks be to God, who … manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).
Monday, January 30, 2012
Jesus' Creed
A creed is simply a statement of what we believe. Everyone has a creed because everyone believes something. Even atheists have a creed, which is their belief that God does not exist.
Every religion has a creed. Islam believes that there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet. Hinduism believes in reincarnation with a strict caste system and an endless array of gods. Buddhism also believes in reincarnation and promotes an eight-fold path to escape suffering.
Every Christian denomination and church has a creed. Some call them statements or confessions of faith. They vary slightly but almost all affirm the Trinity or triune Godhead as One. They almost all embrace the divinity and humanity of Jesus, his sacrificial death, resurrection and promised return. Some recite the Apostle’s creed that dates from the second century or the Nicene Creed adopted in 381.
Increasingly people are developing their own customized creeds, blending elements of the world’s major religions with their own personal preferences. This is especially true of the vast number of people unattached to organized religion, but it includes many who are regular church attenders and members.
Perhaps it would be helpful to ask, “What was Jesus’ creed?”
When Jesus spoke about God He described Him as our Father, teaching us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven.” He taught us that the Father knows our needs before we ask Him, that the very hairs of our head are numbered, and that He takes great pleasure in giving us the Kingdom.
When Jesus spoke about himself he said, “I am the light of the world. … I and the Father are One. He that has seen me has seen the Father. … He that believes in me shall never die. …The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. … I go and prepare a place for you, and if I go I will come again and receive you to myself.”
A lawyer once asked Jesus what He believed about the commandments. Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Many believe this is the essence of Jesus’ creed. It summarizes every thing he taught about God and life.
We may or may not know the belief statement of the church we attend, but we have a core belief that governs everything we do. All of us have a life creed. For Jesus this core belief was built around loving God and loving others. Everything He did and everything He said reflected His love for God and His love for others.
When we stand before God, we will not be judged by the creeds of the churches we attended. Neither will we be judged by the creeds we memorized and recited. We will be judged by how our core belief made a difference in how we lived, what we did and what we said. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Every religion has a creed. Islam believes that there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet. Hinduism believes in reincarnation with a strict caste system and an endless array of gods. Buddhism also believes in reincarnation and promotes an eight-fold path to escape suffering.
Every Christian denomination and church has a creed. Some call them statements or confessions of faith. They vary slightly but almost all affirm the Trinity or triune Godhead as One. They almost all embrace the divinity and humanity of Jesus, his sacrificial death, resurrection and promised return. Some recite the Apostle’s creed that dates from the second century or the Nicene Creed adopted in 381.
Increasingly people are developing their own customized creeds, blending elements of the world’s major religions with their own personal preferences. This is especially true of the vast number of people unattached to organized religion, but it includes many who are regular church attenders and members.
Perhaps it would be helpful to ask, “What was Jesus’ creed?”
When Jesus spoke about God He described Him as our Father, teaching us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven.” He taught us that the Father knows our needs before we ask Him, that the very hairs of our head are numbered, and that He takes great pleasure in giving us the Kingdom.
When Jesus spoke about himself he said, “I am the light of the world. … I and the Father are One. He that has seen me has seen the Father. … He that believes in me shall never die. …The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. … I go and prepare a place for you, and if I go I will come again and receive you to myself.”
A lawyer once asked Jesus what He believed about the commandments. Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Many believe this is the essence of Jesus’ creed. It summarizes every thing he taught about God and life.
We may or may not know the belief statement of the church we attend, but we have a core belief that governs everything we do. All of us have a life creed. For Jesus this core belief was built around loving God and loving others. Everything He did and everything He said reflected His love for God and His love for others.
When we stand before God, we will not be judged by the creeds of the churches we attended. Neither will we be judged by the creeds we memorized and recited. We will be judged by how our core belief made a difference in how we lived, what we did and what we said. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Beyond Religion
A young friend of mine wrote on his facebook page, “Religion is still the opiate of the masses.” He got some interesting responses. One person agreed with him. Another wrote, “It can’t be. If it was, I would take it for recreational purposes.” Of course the statement originated with Karl Marx when he was developing the Communist Manifesto, the philosophical foundation that would eradicate religion in Russia for seventy-five years. When I visited Moscow and Lenin’s tomb ten years ago the hopeless despair left in atheism’s wake was palpable.
My first inclination, like many, is to jump to the defense of religion. But that might not be the most thoughtful response. After all, religion killed Jesus. The Roman government reluctantly carried out the crucifixion only after Pilate had repeatedly tried to release Jesus concluding, “I find no fault in him.” It was the religious leaders of Jerusalem who incited the crowds and demanded Jesus be crucified.
Mankind is incurably religious. Every culture on every continent has spawned religion. And, more often than not, the results have not been good. 9-11 and the Twin Towers serve as monuments to the deadly effects of Islamic Jihad. The Hindu caste system of India consigns millions to poverty without hope.
The Christian religion can become corrupt, self serving and self absorbed. Perhaps Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, found credibility with so many because they suspect that religious systems can become politically vicious when their survival is threatened. The mentally unstable often use religion to justify atrocities against the innocent. We cannot forget the 909 people, including women and children, who voluntarily drank cyanide out of religious devotion to Jim Jones in Guyana.
Sometimes religion is not just an opiate, it is a poison.
Jesus, on the other hand, makes people less selfish, more generous, fills them with hope and leads them to sacrificial efforts to help others. Jesus transformed a little Albanian girl named Agnes into Mother Teresa who spent her life living among the poor of Calcutta and caring for them. Faith in Jesus made William Wilberforce the leader of reform in England to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Faith in Jesus Christ changed a backwoods playboy from North Carolina into Billy Graham who preached grace and forgiveness to millions. Faith in Jesus Christ catapulted Martin Luther King, Jr from the backstreets of Atlanta into the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. The list goes on.. Faith in Jesus Christ transforms us into better people and the world into a better place.
My first inclination, like many, is to jump to the defense of religion. But that might not be the most thoughtful response. After all, religion killed Jesus. The Roman government reluctantly carried out the crucifixion only after Pilate had repeatedly tried to release Jesus concluding, “I find no fault in him.” It was the religious leaders of Jerusalem who incited the crowds and demanded Jesus be crucified.
Mankind is incurably religious. Every culture on every continent has spawned religion. And, more often than not, the results have not been good. 9-11 and the Twin Towers serve as monuments to the deadly effects of Islamic Jihad. The Hindu caste system of India consigns millions to poverty without hope.
The Christian religion can become corrupt, self serving and self absorbed. Perhaps Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, found credibility with so many because they suspect that religious systems can become politically vicious when their survival is threatened. The mentally unstable often use religion to justify atrocities against the innocent. We cannot forget the 909 people, including women and children, who voluntarily drank cyanide out of religious devotion to Jim Jones in Guyana.
Sometimes religion is not just an opiate, it is a poison.
Jesus, on the other hand, makes people less selfish, more generous, fills them with hope and leads them to sacrificial efforts to help others. Jesus transformed a little Albanian girl named Agnes into Mother Teresa who spent her life living among the poor of Calcutta and caring for them. Faith in Jesus made William Wilberforce the leader of reform in England to abolish slavery in the British Empire. Faith in Jesus Christ changed a backwoods playboy from North Carolina into Billy Graham who preached grace and forgiveness to millions. Faith in Jesus Christ catapulted Martin Luther King, Jr from the backstreets of Atlanta into the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. The list goes on.. Faith in Jesus Christ transforms us into better people and the world into a better place.
Monday, January 16, 2012
What Happened to Winter?
For the past week I have been visiting friends and family in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana. Most Texans avoid these regions in January. But, when you have grandchildren in Montana, what can you do?
The weather tricked us. We discovered balmy weather in the forties and fifties, with no snow. Instead of blizzard conditions with blowing snow, we were greeted with brown grass, bare ground and blowing dust. My friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin were not happy. They despise a wimpy winter. Maybe that is why the Packers lost last night to the Giants. Playing at Lambau field, site of the famous ice-bowl in 1967, the weather must have confused them. Yesterday we went to church in Billings, Montana without wearing a parka. What is this?
While many are happy for a respite from shoveling snow and digging out cars, we can’t help but miss the sounds of children giggling down snow-covered slopes, the slap of hockey sticks in the park, the sight of snowmen standing sentry in front yards, not to mention ice-fishing and snow mobiles. Of course, winter might still show up. She has several months left to make her appearance. When I woke up this morning it was 7 degrees with several inches of snow that fell overnight. It should get up to 15 today even though the temps are predicted to return to the forties by Saturday. Without winter’s harsh grip it is difficult to fully experience spring’s miracle: thawing streams, budding limbs, fields of flowers and fresh green grass.
The seasons somehow enrich us with rhythm purpose and meaning. They help us recognize our connection with creation including the migrating geese and the hibernating bear, badger and bee..
From the dawn of creation, God provided seasons. In Genesis, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” (Genesis 1:14).
Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
Life is lived in seasons: birth-childhood and youth; young adulthood; middle age; old age and death. Every season is unique. Every season is to be received as a gift from God and celebrated. Each has its challenges, difficulties, advantages, sorrows and joys.
When Jeremiah looked at seasons and the miracle of nature, he was reminded of how disconnected human beings can become from their creator. “Even the stork in the sky
knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:7).
Maybe this winter, however it turns, can remind us to celebrate all the seasons of life, living in a way that remains connected to the Creator and His creation.
The weather tricked us. We discovered balmy weather in the forties and fifties, with no snow. Instead of blizzard conditions with blowing snow, we were greeted with brown grass, bare ground and blowing dust. My friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin were not happy. They despise a wimpy winter. Maybe that is why the Packers lost last night to the Giants. Playing at Lambau field, site of the famous ice-bowl in 1967, the weather must have confused them. Yesterday we went to church in Billings, Montana without wearing a parka. What is this?
While many are happy for a respite from shoveling snow and digging out cars, we can’t help but miss the sounds of children giggling down snow-covered slopes, the slap of hockey sticks in the park, the sight of snowmen standing sentry in front yards, not to mention ice-fishing and snow mobiles. Of course, winter might still show up. She has several months left to make her appearance. When I woke up this morning it was 7 degrees with several inches of snow that fell overnight. It should get up to 15 today even though the temps are predicted to return to the forties by Saturday. Without winter’s harsh grip it is difficult to fully experience spring’s miracle: thawing streams, budding limbs, fields of flowers and fresh green grass.
The seasons somehow enrich us with rhythm purpose and meaning. They help us recognize our connection with creation including the migrating geese and the hibernating bear, badger and bee..
From the dawn of creation, God provided seasons. In Genesis, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” (Genesis 1:14).
Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
Life is lived in seasons: birth-childhood and youth; young adulthood; middle age; old age and death. Every season is unique. Every season is to be received as a gift from God and celebrated. Each has its challenges, difficulties, advantages, sorrows and joys.
When Jeremiah looked at seasons and the miracle of nature, he was reminded of how disconnected human beings can become from their creator. “Even the stork in the sky
knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:7).
Maybe this winter, however it turns, can remind us to celebrate all the seasons of life, living in a way that remains connected to the Creator and His creation.
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