FOLLOWING

INVOCATION.... d365.org  (Jenny Clamon)
   "We are all called to be followers of Christ. Being a follower brings wonder and insight, comfort and peace, but it also brings challenges and encourages us to see the world in new and startling ways.

   Following is a daily decision to join our risen Lord on the path to which we are invited. It is a decision to open ourselves to both the wonder and the challenge.

Now is the time to decide. A new, startling view of the world awaits."

SATURDAY, July 6, 2013  "Hold Hands"

Original Psalm 16 Scribble from
Make a Joyful Scribble 
Unto the Lord

Psalm 16:7-8,11 (MSG)

The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go....

Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

    All week we've read how hard it is to truly follow.  The way is sometimes confusing and choices can be difficult.  We are often met with hostility or even persecution.  But Psalm 16 reminds us that it is all worth it!  To follow Christ is to be constantly recharged with the Spirit of God. 

 When hiking, if our guide gets too far ahead,  it is often much more difficult to follow.  The path becomes confusing and the rough places appear much more intimidating. If we follow close behind our leader, the way is much easier to navigate. Daily contact with God-Christ through constant prayer, devotion time, and service is like holding hands with God all the way! We can't get lost if we are holding on!  This reminds me of the 'power squeezes' Rick used to give toddler Luke on the trail.  They would hike hand-in-hand and when Luke needed energy, Rick would squeeze his hand for power!  If Luke hadn't been close and in touch, he couldn't have been recharged.  

     Hold hands with God. Stay close and in touch.   Get a power boost. Don't let go.  And FOLLOW, filled with expectant joy and love of the Spirit! 

“‎Those who aren't following Jesus aren't his followers. It's that simple. Followers follow, and those who don't follow aren't followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.” 
― Scot McKnight, One Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow

BENEDICTION.... d365.org  (Jenny Clamon)

Following means commitment to a way that is sometime clear,
And sometimes vague.
There is no assurance that you will always know certainty,
But you will surely know this:

The One you follow will always be with you,
Just ahead of you, offering in every moment,
In darkness and in light,
The invitation.

FRIDAY, July 5, 2013  "CHRIST-Clothing"

Galatians 3:26-29 (GNT)

It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself.   So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.   If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.

     When we attend a Baker High School football game, we pull on our Bulldog sweatshirts and join hundreds of others clan in the purple and gold to cheer on our team.  The crowd is filled with individuals: ranchers and businessmen, men and women, toddlers and retired, affluent and struggling.  Yet we are bonded together in unity as follower-fans of our Bulldog community.  We mark ourselves as such with our attire. We feel a bond simply through our clothing. 

      When, through faith, we clothe ourselves in Christ, we are all God's children together, called to the single purpose of love for one another and God.  To follow Christ means to pull on our Christ-clothes and celebrate the unity we share through the various strengths we bring in our differences.  But our clothing can't be of the FAN nature - to pull on and off as we feel like it.  To be a FOLLOWER means to garb ourselves in Christ permanently AND to experience the common unity that comes with seeing our brothers and sisters dressed the same.    

     What am I wearing today?  Are my Christ-clothes hanging in the closet, clean and waiting for the 'next game'?  Or are they ragged and dirty from constant wear? Does the condition of my clothing mark me as FAN or FOLLOWER?

THURSDAY, July 4, 2013  "Now, No Excuse!"

Luke 9:61-62 (GNT)

 Someone else said, “I will follow you, sir; but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”   Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.”

    Again, Jesus reprimands one who seeks to follow, yet shares a prior responsibility.  Again, at first glance, it seems harsh.  Yet in this next verse, Jesus reiterates the urgency to move forward.  Peterson, in The Message, writes verse 62, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."  We can't wait getting started!  It is so easy to make excuses: first I need to do this.....I'll get to church once such and such is over, etc. The Kingdom of God must be FIRST priority!

     Family is important.  No doubt about that.  It is the heart of where we learn how to be people of God.  But Jesus has expanded that family to one much larger: the church family, the Christian family, brothers and sisters in God we have yet to meet.  It is somewhat like the love that keeps growing every time a new sibling is born.  A mother doesn't divide her love smaller, rather it multiplies to include another. 
     In Idleman's book Not a Fan, the idea is also seen.  A fan is one who is easily distracted, who attends the 'game' only when the weather is nice and there isn't something more important to do.  A follower is always present, through thick and thin, no matter what.   

     Celebrate the ever widening family of God and continue to follow and proclaim the Kingdom!  Be a follower, not a fan!  Make no excuse!  

WEDNESDAY, July 3 2013  "First Things First"

Luke 9:59-60 (MSG)

He said, “Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.”  Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!”

     Wow!  At first, Jesus' words seem harsh and cold.  Where is the compassion?  But Jesus is feeling the urgency of the coming days: an end to his teaching,  the crucifixion and resurrection.  He knows the Kingdom is at hand and the message important.  Choose life.  Choose to act upon that
which will transform. Sometime we can spend half a lifetime on 'burying the dead', on dwelling in the past rather than seeking a new future.  To follow Christ is to put 'first things first' - Christ and the message of Good News.  This kind of following is a daily decision as we make choices about our actions.  May we choose wisely.

TUESDAY, July 2, 2013  "Roughing It"

Luke 9:57-58  (MSG)

On the road someone asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.   Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”

     E. Peterson gets to the heart of this well-known line from scripture.  Verse 58 more traditionally reads, "Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest." (GNT)  This isn't going to be an EASY follow!  There will be very human discomforts along the way.  No five-star motels, often no motel at all.  Remember, the Samaritan town had just made them feel very unwelcome.  To follow Jesus means to accept the conditions as they come.  No pick and choosing when and if.  Commit.  

      This isn't easy.  We mess up every day in trying NOT to 'rough it'.  While Christ lived a very human life while here on earth, we sometimes think following Christ will excuse us from the same. Our assurance?  God is with us; Jesus continues to walk with us, regardless of the quality of accommodations! 

     Pastor Kyle Idleman's book Not a Fan describes the difference between following Christ and just being a fan of Christ.  In the following, belief is put into action.  When a fan, we believe, but don't want that belief to 'interfere' with our life.  Fans don't like to 'rough it'.  

     More comments and notes to come later from Idelman's Not a Fan book.  Interesting read.  

     

MONDAY, July 1, 2013  "Unwelcome"

Luke 9:51-56 (MSG)

When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?”   Jesus turned on them: “Of course not!” And they traveled on to another village.

Following Christ does not always mean

The path is clear

Or the welcome 

Filled with hospitality. 

There are roadblocks, 

Moments of indecision,

Hostility or persecution. 

Following means courage:

To turn the other cheek;

To take the 'high road' and

Walk away. 

Following means maintaining focus

On the ultimate goal,

On the final destination.

Follow, with determination and dedication...

And faith in the one we follow.  

SUNDAY, June 30, 2013  "Look at God"

Psalm 77:11-14 (MSG)

Once again I’ll go over what God has done,
    lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished,
    and give a long, loving look at your acts.

 O God! Your way is holy!
    No god is great like God!

     It is a God-moment in itself that today's d365.org devotion is on 'God Moments".  D365.org author Jenny Clamon titles them "Look at God" moments, those experiences that we usually credit to luck or coincidence, moments of intense natural wonder, moments when God seems so close we can touch hands with the Almighty.  I wrote just a few days ago of chronicling my God-Moments this month, and here it is...practically the start of that new month.  Good timing, God.  

     It is far easier to follow a leader when we can see him or her at the front of the line.  Our God is there, marking our way God-Moment by God-Moment.   Each time we have a Look-at-God moment, we are reminded of who is in control, we see the quality of our leader.  Following becomes second nature. Are we paying attention?  Most of the time, God-Moments are NOT pillars of fire or sea- parting waters.  They are quiet, subtle changes in our life that blaze our trail.  LOOK AT GOD!  Look back and remember what God has done.  Look forward for seek the amazing hike God is blazing ahead of us!  Look at God at work!!  Follow!

SERMON NOTES:  2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14   Rev. Katy, Baker City  TRANSITIONS

• It is easy to think we are the only ones left to do the work of the Lord. 
• It's hard to pass the torch; to loosen our control. 
• Perhaps God takes Elijah up in chariot of fire to get him out of the way for Elisha. 
• Sometimes we have to give up control to the Spirit in our midst. 

   

UNSHACKLED AND FREE!

INVOCATION....  d365.org  (James Blay)
As we journey through life, we are often shackled by metaphorical chains that hold us back, tie us down, or slow our progress.

However, we find in God’s abundant love and grace the hope that can free us.

So raise your hands high, liberated to receive the many gifts God has for you.

SATURDAY, June 29, 2013   "Free...to Love"

Galatians 5:13 (Message)

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.  

     We are made to live in community. The condition of one member becomes the condition of all.  Therefore, the freedom of one is contingent on the freedom of all.  To live a fulfilling,  Spirit-led life, then, involves reaching out to bring the rest of the community to that same point.  It cannot, ever, turn solely inward to personal fulfillment to the neglect of others.  We are set free for one purpose: to love one another as God loves us.  We are free...to LOVE.   

To hold God's love for selfish gain is to imprison oneself from the freedom such love can bring; to radiate God's love outward is to watch freedom grow with abundance.    

BENEDICTION.... 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

(2 Corinthians 3:17  CEB) 

FRIDAY, June 28, 2013  "Go. Tell."

Luke 8:38-39 (Good News)

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged Jesus, “Let me go with you.”   But Jesus sent him away, saying,  “Go back home and tell what God has done for you.”   The man went through the town, telling what Jesus had done for him.

You are free! 

Filled with joy and wonder. 

Filled with excitement. 

Now....Go.  Tell. 

Perhaps the REAL freedom comes 

When we release the good news to others. 

Have we been given 

Opportunities to unshackle other chains,

And release others as we have been freed. 

We can't stay in the safety of our freedom,

But we must take it beyond secure lines

Into the prisons of our community and world. 

In so doing, 

Our true liberation comes:

To live in and with God.

Go.  Tell.  Proclaim freedom.

     "Where have you seen God this week?"  It is the opening question of our weekly lectionary Bible study.  It is our opportunity to reflect on how God has been at work in our daily happenings and to articulate our good news with others. I am challenging myself to DAILY reflect and WRITE DOWN my 'God-Moments' in July.  I will be looking within my personal life, community, country and world.   Our group isn't meeting again until the end of next month - how long will my list be?  

Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare. (Voltaire)

THURSDAY, June 27, 2013 "Fear"

Luke 8:34-37 (Message)

Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved.

Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off.

Fear. 

Fear of change. 

Fear of difference. 

Fear of incomprehensible power.

Fear of the unknown and unseen.  

Fear chains us with invisible shackles. 

Fear imprisons us in bonds of intolerance. 

Fear is part of our humanity. 

And yet...

There is God. 

God, who conquers fear. 

God, who walks with us in the dark moments 

And holds our hand while we face the unknown

   and learn to celebrate our differences. 

God, who allows us to leave our fears behind

     in the musty damp cell of our soul,

And escape into God-Light, God-Love, and God-freedom. 

Let go of fear.

Let God release the chains,

And experience life in the fullness of God's glory. 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;  I will fear no one.                            
The Lord protects me from all danger;  I will never be afraid. 

(Psalm 27:1 GNT)

WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2013  "Pigs" 

Luke 8:32-33  (The Message)

A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.

     The possessed man is a Gentile, a 'foreigner' in Jewish eyes. In his isolated, primitive life among the caves,  how did he know about Jesus?  He acknowledges him as the Son of God in his greeting!  He is afraid; he knows Jesus has power!    

     Jesus responds with compassion for all.  The demons aren't destroyed outright - Jesus instead honors their request and sends them into a herd of nearby pigs.  (Not good for the pigs, but they were considered 'unclean' in Jewish culture anyway.)  The man is healed, made whole again.

      God doesn't destroy those we consider our enemies.  We are all His children!   What God destroys are the walls of intolerance and prejudice we create and allow to hold us captive: The walls that make us see one another as enemies.   These are the demons to be cast aside to free us to full life. 

TUESDAY, June 25, 2013     "Demons"

Luke 8:27-31  (Good News Translation)

As Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who had demons in him. For a long time this man had gone without clothes and would not stay at home, but spent his time in the burial caves.  When he saw Jesus, he gave a loud cry, threw himself down at his feet, and shouted, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? I beg you, don't punish me!”  He said this because Jesus had ordered the evil spirit to go out of him. Many times it had seized him, and even though he was kept a prisoner, his hands and feet tied with chains, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon out into the desert.

 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is ‘Mob,’” he answered—because many demons had gone into him.  

     Demons.  The dictionary defines them as 1. An evil supernatural being or devil; or 2. A persistently tormenting person, force, or passion.  Demons can be disease, circumstance or consequences of the past.  Demons imprison us and prevent us from reaching our God-given potential.  Perhaps in this Biblical story the man was an epileptic in need of healing; a seizure would be misunderstood by those in Biblical times. 

     What are the demons in our lives?  What are the forces holding us captive to our fears and holding us back from God?   Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, 

  "Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied."
 What holds us captive?  It's a power struggle.  But God has the ultimate power to free.  If we offer our demand for power to God, we allow God to free us.   Through God, and in God, may we find release from the demons we hold within.  

MONDAY, June 24, 2013   "Prisons"

Isaiah 42:3  (The Message)

He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt
    and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant,
    but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right.

God did not come to earth in human form to punish or condemn.  We are broken people, enslaved to our human nature.  Our compassionate, loving God understands.  He seeks not to intensify the brokenness, but to heal and release the chains of our bondage.  Rejoice in a God of justice who sets us free from the prisons of our own making!  

(Today is fairly short and sweet.  Devotional time taken while waiting in the Cell Phone area of Portland airport, watching the planes touch down right over my head.   Managed to write and draw in the time I waited for Mom Doris' plane to arrive.  Rest of day spent driving from Bandon to Baker City via Portland! Long day in the car!)

SUNDAY, June 23, 2013   "God-Water" 

Psalm 42:1, 5 (The Message)

A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek;
I want to drink God,  deep draughts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

Thirst.  Deep thirst.  Visions of desert scenes, dry bones, and a distant mirage as the lone figure crawls across the sandy terrain in search of water.  We've all seen the cartoons.  And, I venture to guess, at some point, we have all come to that state of a deep, longing thirst AND the overwhelming release that comes with the first swallow of cool water. Our body is, on average, 60% water.  Water is LIFE.  We need it.  We come to crave it.  

God is the water of life as well.  God is a cool drink of hope.  God is the refreshing promise of new life and the release from old restraints.   Crave the hope of God. Drink deeply of God.  Often. 

Nothing is better for our health than 8 glasses of God-water....daily!   

(I opted to redraw my original Psalm 42 scribble, but the more I wrote this morning, another design came into my pencil.  So....two scribbles for today!)

INTRODUCING THE MISSIONAL CHURCH

What It Is, Why It Matters, How to Become One
by Alan J. Roxburgh and M. Scott Boren

A Scribbled Interpretation/Summary

Chapter 1: ALL WHO WANDER ARE NOT LOST

CHAPTER 2: JUST GIVE ME A DEFINITION

CHAPTER 3:  DOES MISSIONAL FIT?

CHAPTER 4:  WHAT'S BEHIND THE WARDROBE?

Keep reading with me....Chapter 5 coming soon!!  :)

FORGIVEN to LOVE

INVOCATION....  d365.org (Sara Hunt)
Love itself may be at stake. If we are unable to forgive one another, we will not be able to love.

Perhaps this is why we can declare with confidence that God is love; it is because, first, God is forgiving.

With so much at risk, God will see to it that love does not leave room for resentment. Instead, God will lead in the cause of mercy.

SATURDAY, June 22 "Lucky I Am!"
Psalm 32:1-2  (The Message)

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—
    you get a fresh start,
    your slate’s wiped clean.

 Count yourself lucky—
    God holds nothing against you
    and you’re holding nothing back from him.

Lucky I am! My heart feels free! 
Happy I am!  God's forgiven me!
Blessed I am for a lightened load,
Debts forgiven, no longer owed. 

God does not tally up our sin,
If we practice not to hold within;
And pass it on to all around,
So forgiveness-love the world abound. 

Lucky I am! My slate's wiped clean
The past now lit with God-like sheen!
Rejoice with joy, kick up my heels!
Resurrection power, grace reveals. 


I HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS WEEK'S THEME OF FORGIVENESS!!  

BENEDICTION.....  d365.org    (Sara Hunt)

There's a gate just ahead, inviting you to pass through. It is marked "Forgiveness." It leads the way to acceptance, confirmation, recognition, being embraced and held. It takes you down the pathway that brings you love.

Reach out and open easily the latch. Step lightly through the gate's portal. Our forgiving God welcomes you there.

FRIDAY, June 21 "Chain Reaction"
Luke 8:1,3  (Message)
He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God’s kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed ... who used their considerable means to provide for the company.

How can we 'provide for the company'?  What means do we hold to help spread the message of the gospel, a message of love and forgiveness?  Pure love for one another doesn't come naturally; we need help.  Forgiveness is not a natural response; it is God-granted grace.  We who have accepted and received the forgiveness of God carry the responsibility to 'pass it on'; to represent the power of forgiveness in our broken world.   Each time we forgive in love, we provide.  Each time we supply the daily needs of others, we provide.  Each time we use the our God-given gifts for the benefit of all, we provide. Within such a community of love, God's Kingdom grows, one link at a time in a chain reaction.  

Noted writer Henri Nouwen penned, "Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family.” 

-----------------------

As I searched the internet for Nouwen's quote, I found others that provide food for thought....

"The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."  (Mahatma Gandhi)

"When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself." --(Lewis B. Smedes)

"The best way to get the last word is to apologize." (Unknown)

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." (Paul Boese)

 "To be forgiven is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison with it. But yet there is one thing sweeter still, and that is to forgive. As it is more blessed to give than to receive, so to forgive rises a stage higher in experience than to be forgiven." (Charles Spurgeon)

THURSDAY, June 20 "Gateway"
Luke 7:48-50 (The Message)

Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”   That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”    He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

There is a fence between me and love,
A broken portal in the middle:
The gate of forgiveness.
The weight of resentment 
Hangs heavy and
Bitterness has rusted the hinge.  
To forgive as God forgives
Is to repair the gate. 
"I forgive you" polishes the broken hinge, 
"God forgives me" realigns the entrance
And the door swings open wide.
Accept God's forgiveness,
Reconcile and forgive others. 
Experience the peace, the new life,
The LOVE on the other side. 

WEDNESDAY, June 19  "Forgive and Forget?"

Luke 7:44-47 (Common English Bible)

Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your home, you didn’t give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.   You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in.  You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has poured perfumed oil on my feet.   This is why I tell you that her many sins have been forgiven; so she has shown great love. The one who is forgiven little loves little.”

Forgive and forget!

A commonly used phrase,

Intended to encourage or remind. 

And it's ok to forget the wrongdoing,

To feel like the sin is wiped clean,

Or the slate erased. 

But forgiveness demands a response. 

You can't forget when you've been forgiven. 

You can't forget the gratitude. 

The call of God is to Forgive and Love. 

We must have a RESPONSE to forgiveness. 
We must demonstrate our thankfulness. 
We must return the love to the forgiver;
We must show love to the forgiven. 
It's easy to say, 'I forgive you'
Or to acknowledge God's 'You're forgiven!'
It's harder to wrap our arms around each other in love;
Much more difficult to sacrifice a piece of ourselves for another. 
But Forgiveness demands a response:
LOVE.

Proof that scribbling helps the scriptural memory.  As I worked through this morning's devotion, I thought 'I have drawn this passage before!  It was a 747 airplane!' Sure enough, in a review of Rev. Al's Sermons, I found the 747 airplane drawing from September 2010.  You can tell it was one of my earliest drawings! 

TUESDAY, June 18  "God-Bank"

Luke 7:41-43 (Good News Translation)

 “There were two men who owed money to a moneylender,” Jesus began. “One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty.  Neither of them could pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?”

 “I suppose,” answered Simon, “that it would be the one who was forgiven more.”

“You are right,” said Jesus.

     God runs a most unusual bank.  The Almighty makes loans right and left - loans of great abundance, blessings overflowing, home loans of incredible creation. As world citizens, we are patrons of the God-Bank. We nonchalantly accept the loans on a daily basis,  yet none of us can repay.  The amount we owe is meaningless to Banker God - we come as equals unable to cash out. The debts are constantly canceled at the God-bank.  Wall Street economics this is not, but the God Theology of Debt Management. 

     Somehow, our egotistical nature leads us to believe that those who have smaller debts are of greater 'worth'.  Big debt means big 'screw-up' in our minds.  As usual, God leads us to realize the opposite:  Those with the greatest debt are those with the greatest capacity for gratitude and love. 

     I am going to continue to do business with the God-Bank.  

MONDAY, June 17 "Pursuit"

Luke 7:37-38 (The Message)

Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume.

To seek Forgiveness 
We must acknowledge the Sin. 
We must pursue the Forgiver.
Actively.
This takes persistence,
A willingness to enter strange doors,
A boldness of emotion,
A public declaration of wrong.
The Lord is ready and waiting,
With open arms and a forgiving heart.
Poised to cleanse our souls and
Prepare the way for love. 
May we continually engage the pursuit.
May we daily seek the one who forgives.
Unashamed yet with humility.
And throw wide open the gate to love. 

SUNDAY, June 16 "Each Morning" 

Psalm 5:1-3, 8  (Common English Bible)

Hear my words, Lord!
    Consider my groans!
2     Pay attention to the sound of my cries, my king and my God,
        because I am praying to you!
3 Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
    In the morning I lay it all out before you.
    Then I wait expectantly.....

Lord, because of many enemies,
    please lead me in your righteousness.
    Make your way clear,
        right in front of me.

It's a tough world in which to forgive, Lord. 

People wrong each other. 

People wrong me. 

Yet your call is for love. 

Vengeance gets in the way of love. 

Anger and resentment bar the door. 

Forgiveness opens the way. 

Each morning may I renew my resolve

To clear the path for love. 

Each morning may I come to you

For the strength to do so. 

Show me the door, Lord. 

Whisper in my ear, 'Forgive them'.

Lead me to Love.