SIMPLY REJOICING 2: Listen and Crave Time with Your Savior

FOLLOW THE MASTER

“A word from your Creator will enlarge your vision!” (PL)

This devotion post is based on Chapter/Month 2 of Patsy Lewis'  book SIMPLY REJOICING, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City.

MONDAY, June 2  HITTING THE WALL

Mark 14:71-72 MSG

 Now Peter got really nervous and swore, “I never laid eyes on this man you’re talking about.” Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.” He collapsed in tears.

          At some point we all lose it.  We try so hard, maintain a consistent effort, and in spite, hit the proverbial ‘wall’.  Peter did.  He professed Jesus over and over, and yet in the wee hours of a morning, denied him three times.  Yet that wasn’t the end for Peter.  Jesus/God didn’t erase him from the plan and think, ‘All that effort and he is worthless’!  No, we are forgiven, provided the opportunities to refresh and recharge, to reconnect the relationship, and continue the work. 

          It’s nice to know we can fail with forgiveness.  It’s nice to know that everything won’t always be roses, and in spite of the thorns, we can persevere.  The time we spend with Jesus will refuel our engines and get us back up and running. 

SUNDAY, June 1 KNOWING GOD

2 Peter 1:3-4  

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.  (3:MSG)

          Everything we need to know we’ve been given!   Oh, that we would listen completely!  Because the catch is in the second half of the verse: ‘by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.’  We can’t figure out life if we don’t personally KNOW the source of abundant life. 

          When we meet someone new, how do we get to know them?  We talk with them, we watch them in action, we do things together, we share stories.  This is how I will get to know my new CAV team tonight.  This is also how we can get to know God.   Prayer allows us to talk with God.  Jesus provides us with a view of God in action.  Daily events, seen with God-eyes, offer glimpses into God at work.  Service in God’s name means working side-by-side with God.  Scripture is filled with God stories if we will but read it.  EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW WE’VE BEEN GIVEN!  May we attune our lives to the many opportunities we have to intimately be in relationship with God and we will grasp much of that ‘everything’.  

FAST WITH EYES OPEN

“A fast may alert you to future temptation.” (PL)

This devotion post is based on the book SIMPLY REJOICING by Patsy Lewis, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City.

SATURDAY, May 31  Temptation Buster

Luke 4:3-4; 8  MSG

“The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: ‘Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.’  Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: ‘It takes more than bread to really live.”…. “Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: ‘Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God.  Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”

          What is Jesus’s weapon against temptation?  Scripture.  During his silent retreat, Jesus fasted from food, but he feasted on Scripture.  He digested it, he was strengthened by it, he was fortified by it when temptation came.  Jesus could quote Scripture with a perfect response to whatever the Temptor threw at him.  He knew it inside and out and it sustained him.

          Now…if I take this literally, I have to admit I can be irritated by someone who seems to quote scripture by book and verse effortlessly.  Often their response seems to be more for show and to impress rather than a true regard for the words they spout.  But since I am often tempted by food I shouldn’t eat, perhaps to use Scripture as a ‘buster’ could be helpful.  When tempted to eat for the wrong reasons, I should find a verse that reminds me why I can better serve God without those calories!  

FRIDAY, May 30  Silent Retreat

“A silent retreat is not necessarily accompanied by fasting from food – neither of mine was.  It is a fast from talking and noise and the hurry-scurry of distractions for the purpose of listening and fellowship with your Maker and Redeemer.  It may include reading the Bible and other Christian literature, walking and observing God’s handiwork, even sleeping and getting much needed rest.”  (Patsy Lewis in Simply Rejoicing)

          I would like to think I have a mini retreat each morning, but no.  The time is too short, too focused on the ‘end product’ rather than any fellowship or listening to God.  I think a positive retreat experience should last at least 2 hours.  That’s enough time to remove my compulsion to produce and allow me to let go and listen. 

          I like Lewis’ thoughts, however, on how to retreat.  It doesn’t have to be sitting with a candle in a quiet corner.  It can be.  But it can also be a walk in the woods and visiting with God as you immerse yourself in the glory of God’s creation.  Rick probably experiences many more Silent Retreats in this manner than I because he goes off hiking or snowshoeing alone and always includes a time to have his “little chat” with God.  (That’s what he calls them!) 

          A retreat is time away….in solitude.  My morning devotion time is often sitting in the midst of conversation.  Either I need to get up earlier or I need to find a more personal space! 

          Everyone likes to go on a retreat!  May we ‘treat’ ourselves more often to the joy of the experience! 

PS  Yesterday morning I took a break from this book and wrote a Habitat devotion.  You can find it under the “Random Morning Thoughts” post in February. 

WEDNESDAY, May 28  Fasting

Luke 4:1-2 MSG

Recycled, but the scripture is the same!

“Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild.  For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil.  He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.”

          There is a lot of scripture on the topic of fasting.  It was a common practice among the legalistic rituals of the Jewish people, often done for ‘show of holiness’.  This isn’t the kind of fasting that Jesus suggests.  We usually think of fasting as going without food, or partial fasting as withholding certain foods.  But the real point of the practice is to enter into a time of conversation with God.  Fasting allows us to focus on God while we remove the more selfish distractions of food or busyness.  If our motives are pure, a fast can be a real spiritual experience, especially if done in solidarity with a group. (This helps with the temptation to break the fast too soon!)  Fasting helps us LISTEN better to what God has to say, what God wants us to do.  

          My only real experience with fasting was during our PYG 30 Hour Famine events.  We went 30 hours without solid food, consuming only water or a little fruit juice.  We spent the time focused on community service, simulations of hunger situations worldwide, in worship and fellowship.  The fasts were a major bonding moment for our group.  I always finished the fast thinking, ‘I should do this more often’, but I never carried through with that promise!  

SIMPLY REJOICING 1: Arise and Exalt Your Creator

KEEP YOUR FOCUS TOWARD JESUS 
This devotion post is based on the book SIMPLY REJOICING by Patsy Lewis, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City.

TUESDAY, May 27  Bold Prayers

From The Circle Maker  by Mark Batterson

“ Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers….God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers.  He is offended by anything less.  If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.  Why?  Because they don’t require divine intervention.”

          The first two words that came to my mind when I consider Bold Prayers are change and challenge.  Most of my prayers are so rote and routine, intercessory prayers for the sick and hurting, prayers for safety, prayers for strength.  But a prayer that goes out on a limb, a prayer that stretches me, that causes me to 'bite off more than I can chew' alone?  Not usually!  

          What are some goals that I might make that would require bold prayer?  My list of steps for achieving such goals should begin with prayer and end with pray HARD! Like a good BOLD sandwich, filled with the hearty meat of challenge and change, that begins and ends with prayer!  A sandwich that might be bigger than I can chew alone, but will require me to seek God's assistance.   Something to consider, but first I need to spend a little time in prayer to discern just what that hearty filling of challenge might be.  

Another addendum!  Talked with Kathy about Silas' friend, Roy.  She said there is a Thrivent church group also coming for one week beginning in June.  Roy is probably part of that one!  So...maybe we'll meet Roy 'on the job'!

MONDAY, May 26  Read! Learn! Ponder!

          The last of Lewis’ yearly goals is to be open to learn; to read new books on a regular basis.  This is a goal I just can’t keep up with.  I don’t spend enough quality time reading books that make me think.  Don’t get me wrong, I read some….but too often late at night when I can’t really grasp the content because I am falling asleep.  I just finished reading Michener’s The Source.    It took me 3 months to finish the 1075 pages.  But I did dog-ear pages as I went along so I could write down a few memorable quotes.

          Books present themselves in a variety of manners.  An off-hand catch at an RV park stand, recommendation from a friend, or just an impulsive buy from the newsstand or Amazon.  Yet I think God is at work in our choices.  There is something in them that God wants us to see and think about.  I can’t believe how many times something will come up in my daily life and I will have ‘just read about that’!  Not chance nor coincidence!  God at work preparing me.   

          So, out of order, as I usually start with a quote or scripture, I’ll end today with one of those Michener lines.  I was going to use one about the blindness religious fury inflicts upon us, but then I saw the following and felt, perhaps, that this discernment is what I am talking about.  Whoa….did God just point my eyes to this passage?

          “If our desire is to uncover God’s wishes, we must develop minds that can penetrate shadows, for the mists produced by living obscure the truth and you cannot discern it unless you sharpen your wits.”

Addendum to Sunday:  We met a man named Silas working in the store at Lake McDonald lodge.  I am guessing that Silas is  retired, a national park volunteer.  Silas saw our Habitat shirts and asked if we worked with the group.  After our affirmation, he told us his friend from Arizona is coming up for the new build (he was a little confused on the process, but we think we will meet Roy on the 1st of June!)  God at work?  What led us to THAT little store?    In the meantime, we witnessed our Creator God busy for milleniums on our hike in the park.  From chiseled peaks to hanging valleys and towering waterfalls to the new shoots of life coming forth through lingering snow.  Majestic!  God! 

Avalanche Lake with its hanging valley and rim of waterfalls.  Creator God at work! 

SUNDAY, May 25   Watching to Rejoice!

Luke 21:36 GNT

Be on watch and pray always……

          Be alert to God at work.  Be watchful for times when coincidence is really God!  If we are actively LOOKING for God-acts, we will be filled with praise for all that we see. 

          This is the third challenge put forth by Lewis in this chapter:  to watch throughout the day to see Jesus at work in my world.  But Lewis adds that we need to ASK God to show us, to open our eyes to SEE!  This kind of vision will reveal God-truths every day.  Our praise and rejoicing will be contagious. 

          Today Rick and I are driving into Glacier National Park.  While I am sure that we will witness God-glory in terms of Creation majesty, I may have to actively watch to find God at work among the people we encounter.  I do ask God to keep the bears at bay while we are on the trail!  

SATURDAY, May 24

Keep Your Focus Toward Jesus – Daily Word 

        Today focuses on the second of four goals author Lewis made under the umbrella of ‘Watching’.  This goal involved reading the Gospels in chronological order, especially alert for Jesus’ call to watch or rejoice.  It caused me to ask….does such a Bible exist?  What is it called?  I did a short search for a chronological reading of the Gospels all meshed together into one.  At first I only found two such Bibles: The Daily Bible in Chronological Order by F. Legard Smith  and  Reading God’s Story – A Chronological Daily Bible by George Guthrie.  A later search on Amazon revealed many more!  One simply called THE STORY!

          Many people wrote they didn’t like the chronology framework.  They couldn’t look up familiar verses.  The Psalms were intermeshed with the stories they referenced.  The Gospels were all meshed.  (That’s the part I would like to read!)  It is an interesting concept and one I might have to explore…..when I have better internet connection! 

          In the meantime…..be alert!  Be watchful for God at work!  Be ready for reasons to rejoice and cheer!   (Sorry…. No picture forthcoming today!)

FRIDAY, May 23 

Keep Your Focus Toward Jesus – Daily Conversation

Luke 10:22  GNT

“No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

    

          Good communication with God should include daily prayer.  But a conversation goes two ways.  So often our prayers become time to tell God what we want and need.  And the conversation ends.  We need the listening time as well!  Time to hear God and what God needs and wants!   

          Sometimes I think when I draw my prayer mandalas, I’m not really praying.  I try to concentrate on the names of those I am praying for while I pencil their names, or color around them.  And while that is important, perhaps the biggest purpose of the prayer drawings is if I use the time to LISTEN!  What is God telling me today?  As my thoughts circle around and wander, is God speaking through them? 

          Two way conversation.  Two way prayers.  It will help keep our prayer focus on God and really improve communication.  

Prayers following drive up to Montana

AWAKEN with PRAYER

THURSDAY, May 22   Awaken with Prayer – The Trinity

“God is beyond us as the Father, among us as the Son, and within us as the Spirit…All efforts to explain the Trinity of God…cannot adequately describe the Godhead…..But the wonder of it causes a wise person to reverence even more the greatness of God.” (Robert Coleman in The Heart of the Gospel)

     “Beyond, Among, Within!”  - That’s the amazing wonder of it all!  In spite of our questions, our doubts, and our sporadic faith, we believe in the greatness of God.  We believe in the Creator’s majesty, the grace of forgiveness through Christ, and the steadfast presence of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot see any of the Trinity with our eyes, but the evidence can be overwhelming. 

     The Trinity allows God to appear in every form imaginable.  The Trinity allows us to recognize God in every aspect of our lives.  The Trinity gives us reason to celebrate and  rejoice! 

WEDNESDAY, May 21  Spirit Wind

Genesis 1:2  GNT

…the Spirit of God^[a] was moving over the water. ( [a] or the power of God; or a wind from God; or an awesome wind.)

     The third part of our Trinity Prayer is the Spirit.  The Bible starts with the Spirit of God, Jesus is baptized with the Spirit present, the disciples are promised the gift of the Spirit when commissioned. 

          It was the footnote in the Good News translation, an ‘awesome wind’, that reminded me of yesterday’s discussion at our Habitat build.  Supervisor Steve took the time to explain the energy efficiency of these homes in terms of air infiltration.  He talked of the winds roaring through the gap from Glacier NP and the effect on a home NOT built in this manner.  The wind penetrates the house wall as if a 6” hole were left in the side.  These homes are built as if the hole were only ½” in size on a 100 square foot wall.  Air has the uncanny ability to seep into EVERY little pocket and space available.

          But isn’t that something like the Spirit?  Isn’t God able to infiltrate every little aspect of our life, present for our support and assistance?  The only difference is….this is a GOOD wind!  We want the Spirit wind to penetrate the house of our life!  If we try to block God out it just doesn’t work! How God-Efficient have I built my life?  Do I need to air things out a little? 

TUESDAY, May 20   Selfie Photo

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood….No one has seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.”  (John 1:14,18  MSG)

          God-Expression.  Flesh and blood.  Plain as day.  Robert Coleman in The Heart of the Gospel calls Jesus a ‘photograph’ of God.   How often do we want ‘photographic proof’ of something?  ‘Show me a picture!’  Well, God pulled out his Creation Camera and took a picture.  What does God look like?  JESUS!  Coleman’s photo in modern terms becomes the first ‘selfie’ ever taken!  God took a selfie of his being, and it looks just like Jesus!!  What more proof could we want?? 

MONDAY, May 19   Trinity Prayer

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth – all you see, all you don’t see….God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! (Genesis 1:1, 31 MSG)

     I am going to use a new book for the next few months.  I think I started once before perhaps, as I have already posted a Trinity Prayer page.  This prayer is used by author Patsy Lewis to start each day.  It is a reminder prayer that our Creator God is in EVERYTHING, that Jesus is our personal ‘photograph’ of God, and the Spirit is present 24/7 to sustain us.  My re-write of Lewis’ prayer is included within my Scribble design, but I will allow that it is difficult to read!  So, to make it easier….

Good morning, Lord!

I awake this day to celebrate your presence as Creator God:

Maker of all the beauty, the wonder,

The intricate balancer of our world,

With everlasting love as  Father-Mother, Nurturer.

I awake this day to celebrate the Son:

Your presence in a form we can recognize,

Touch, and engage.

The one who suffered as we suffer,

And died to end all suffering.

I awake this day to celebrate the Spirit:

The constant, living, indwelling of you within and through us.

I awake to celebrate the Trinity

And to see God in all I encounter and do this day. 

     All God made is and was good!  We must open our eyes and look, open our hearts and prepare to receive God!  What a great way to start a day!  Praise God!

Eastertide:d365.org - THE WAY

INVOCATION..... (d365.org - Chad Senuta)

Life’s pathways are not always clearly marked. Trails wind into the wilderness and disappear, leaving no end in sight. And often you may wonder which way to go.

As you journey through life, there is One you can trust to be your guide—the One who has already walked the path for you and who walks beside you even now.

In these quiet moments, be still and listen for the One who is calling you home.

SUNDAY, May 18  Mountain Guide

Psalm 31:3-5 MSG

You’re my cave to hide in,
    my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
    be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
    I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
    You won’t drop me,
    you’ll never let me down.

     God is my cave for shelter from life's wrongs.  But God is also the perilous cliff of the challenges and difficulties before us that we must climb.  The path is not a yellow-brick road of rosy moments spent in the cave.  To navigate The Way we can't stay hidden, we must move forward.  But we have a guide!  
     I 'half-watched' a reality show last night about bear hunting guides on the island of Kodiak Island, Alaska.  The guides were with their hunters all the way, preparing and challenging them, trying to make the way as safe as possible.  Yet, ultimately, when it was time for the shot, they were on their own: "Make sure you can take it on your first attempt, because if you miss, the 1300 enraged pounds will come to kill you."  
     God is with us all the way, but ultimately we must make the decision on our own to listen and to follow.  We must 'take the shot' and walk with our guide.  Our God-guide will never let us down.   

SATURDAY, May 17  Chosen Instrument

1 Peter 2:9-10 MSG

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

     Chosen. Selected. Hand-picked and appointed.  Called by name!  God must think I am pretty special!  You too!  What an awesome realization!  What an awesome responsibility! 
     Two words really jumped out at me, especially in light of our Missional meeting discussion last Wednesday: 'God's instrument'.  In the Matthew 10:9-16 parallel of our missional text Luke 10:1-12, verse 10 of The Message  writes "You don't need alot of equipment. YOU are the equipment..."  Wow.  We are God's instruments - all the equipment necessary to do God-work, to share God-grace, to spread God-words.  We fdon't need fancy technology or lots of gear.  We need God-hearts ready to serve. 
     That's just a little scary.  WE are all God needs to make heaven on earth.  We!  You and me!  God has chosen us.  I'm not sure I'm up to the task, but God must think so.  So I'd better 'fine-tune- this God-instrument and get to work! 

FRIDAY, May 16  Spiritual Milk

1 Peter 2:2-3 MSG

 You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.

     We all start this life as an infant.  We all have the same beginning. From this 'child-like' start, adulthood is achieved through the process of growth, slowly and incremental.  It is a process, not a sudden arrival at the final destination of spiritual maturity.  

     This process of growth can be perceived as our Path.  We need direction, nourishment, and instruction along the way.  We need what God provides. We need to give ourselves time to 'drink deep' of God, to listen, to be encouraged, and to grow.  

THURSDAY, May 15  Proof Along The Way

John 14:12-14 GNT

I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do—yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son.  If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.

Another 'recycled' scribble this morning!

     God-acts reveal God.  It's really that simple.  When we act with pure heart and hands in the name and heart of God, we allow others to see God. We provide the 'Proof' that God exists and is present in every aspect of daily life.  We are given the power and ability and opportunity to act on God's behalf when we truly believe that power exists. 

  To walk The Way of Christ means to live with Christ within us, to grasp the Spirit within and use it to speak and do like our parent-God.      With the help of the Spirit, we have been given the opportunity to become God-like on God's behalf.  The proof is in our actions.....in what we DO.  May we take action within our families, our churches and communities, and our world BECAUSE of what we believe, BECAUSE of the Spirit alive within us.   Starting today.... 

WEDNESDAY, May 14 Divine

John 14:8-11 MSG

Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”

A previous Scribble on this text with a different slant.

 “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.

 “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works.

     The disciples really don't 'get it'.  God has been living with them for two years or more and they haven't figured it out.  And double proof!  The body of Jesus AND his actions all substantiate the presence of God.  

     Do I 'get it'?  Do I recognize the presence of God around me??  In the actions of others? In Creation?  How often am I saying, "Show me the Father, and I'll be content"?  How often do I want 'proof'??    How often do I get lost because of my doubts and fears?

     God walked among us two thousand years ago.  God is still walking among us.  Believe in the divine.  Seek the divine presence which is constantly pointing the way to God.    

TUESDAY, May 13  The Path

John 14: 5-7 VOICE

Thomas: 5 Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the path?

Jesus: 6 I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him.

    Ah, Thomas, doubting again!  Questioning and seeking answers.  No different really from the rest of us today.  But Jesus makes it clear:  You DO know the path to God.  I've shown it to you, I've walked it once already, and I'll walk it with you.   When we see Jesus, we see God.  When we consciously recognize the many times we see mini-miracles of Jesus acts in our daily life, we see God.  

    I have always struggled a little with this scripture, especially when interpreted by ultra conservatives who use it to denounce people of other faiths.  'We are right; you are wrong - Jesus said so' kind of attitudes.  Yes, I believe Jesus is the path by which we have witnessed God on earth.  But for those religions who believe in the same God, yet by a different path, I can't say they are 'wrong'.  Different yes, but IT'S THE SAME GOD!  And ultimately, isn't that our goal?  To know God?    Maybe I too have Thomas doubts and questions......

MONDAY, May 12   Lost?

John 14:1, 4 VOICE

Don’t get lost in despair; believe in God, and keep on believing in Me. ...... 4 You know where I am going and how to get there.

         "You know where I am going..."  Jesus says.  We KNOW in our heads, but we don't always fully grasp in our heart and soul just how to get there.  It is so easy to get lost along the way.  There are so many junctions of decisions, moments when trials seem to block the path.  But God doesn't just point the way, God walks with us the entire journey, continually redirecting, gently nudging, even allowing us to stray if necessary.  But ALWAYS with us.  

          There is an overwhelming comfort in knowing the way to a final destination.   But perhaps, even more comfort in the assurance that when we stray, we will be shown again and again.

BENEDICTION BLESSINGS ....

 ("Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" by Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

EASTERTIDE: d365.org - Follow the Shepherd

INVOCATION..... (d365.org - Christine Vogel)

Traveling to a new place can be a great adventure. The most venturous are more than willing to take even an unmarked road if they feel it holds the possibility of new knowledge or experience.

But even the most foolhardy traveler wants to believe they can find their way to a familiar path if they come to fear they might be lost.

Christians who are on the way know they have an ever-present companion in the journey, a shepherd always there to guide.

SUNDAY, May 11  Mother-Shepherd

Judges 4:4-5 MSG

Deborah was a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth. She was judge over Israel at that time. She held court under Deborah’s Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hills of Ephraim. The People of Israel went to her in matters of justice.

     Deborah was a woman of importance in early Israel.  While the Bible doesn't specifically SAY she had her own biological children, she served as a female role model, a disciplinarian of sorts, a guide, for the people.  That led me to thinking that perhaps Moms and Shepherds can be linked together.  

     Two children arguing.  'I'm going to tell Mom!'  And Mom is sought to render justice.  Two sheep fighting and the Shepherd calms the flock.  A mother nurtures, a Shepherd grows the flock.  Comforters and protectors, they are the glue that binds the family-flock together. Mothers build community.

     Thank you, Mom, for being my Shepherd:  For tending to my wounds of health and heart, for leading me to rich fields of faith and nourishment, both physical and spiritual.  Thank you for always being available and serving as a witness to a life lived in grace and humility.  And thank you for always supporting my efforts, championing my talents and encouraging me to reach out and do more.  You are my Mother-Shepherd in so many ways and I love you!  

SATURDAY, May 10   Example Shepherd

1 Peter 2: 21-25 (excerpts)  MSG

This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.....

They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.... 

You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls....

     Impulsive Peter is probably the disciple with whom we can best identify: always blurting out something inappropriate, denying he would ever deny, missing the point of the parable.  Yet Peter can state the obvious: Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  Jesus is a living example of how to apply the Golden Rule to our life;  he gave us a 'step-by-step' user manual of silent suffering, leaving judgment in the hands of God.  God will right the wrong, it's not our job to exact retribution.  We need to simply follow our Shepherd: feed the hungry, shelter and clothe those without, and free the oppressed.  
     Call out for justice, act for justice, but leave revenge or retribution of the unjust to God.  Concentrate on the lost sheep, not the wolves.  

FRIDAY, May 9  Meals!

Acts 2:46-47 MSG

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Recycled Scribble....but the message is the same! 

     Celebration. Exuberance and Joy.  I can think of many a meal around the tables in the church fellowship hall that would fit this description from Acts.  Meals in private homes with our friends and family in God.  But do we regard our private daily meals in the same way?  Do we take time to praise and thank God for our bounty?  Do we listen to one another and share our joys and concerns?  Meal time is a holy time within the Christian community.  Our society, however,  has made meals a 'take-out' of isolation with cell-phone or TV companions.  Watch people in a restaurant.  Many aren't talking to each other or enjoying their food.  They poke buttons on their phone as they shove in an untasted meal.  

     I found it interesting (God?) that these verses appear now as I am pondering new avenues of 'feasting in celebration' as a church community.  But first, perhaps, I need to also consider how often we dine at home with our TV companion......  

THURSDAY, May 8  Community

Acts 2:42-45 VOICE

The community continually committed themselves to learning what the apostles taught them, gathering for fellowship, breaking bread, and praying.43 Everyone felt a sense of awe because the apostles were doing many signs and wonders among them. 44 There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed; they shared all their material possessions in trust. 45 They sold any possessions and goods that did not benefit the community and used the money to help everyone in need.

   I still have the sheep analogy in my head.  A flock is a community, bound together for a common purpose.  They eat together......  OK, perhaps there, any comparison to the early Church ends.  The sheep really don't CARE for one another - compassion isn't a sheep characteristic.  
     But the early Christians did commit to four actions which helped bind them together: teaching and learning, building relationship in fellowship, common meals, and prayer.  These are intentional practices involving commitment.  They involve dependence on one another and letting go of some personal 'wants' for the common good. (Yes, it does sound a little socialistic!)  It goes against our Western culture of rugged individuality and 'I can do it MYSELF ALONE!'  

     I am soon to take over the reigns as chair of the fellowship committee, and this passage is causing me to take a look at our church community.  We worship together, we pray together (not enough), but I'm not sure we 'break bread' together enough.  Sounds like a challenge ahead.....

WEDNESDAY, May 7   
The Gate

John 10:9-10 GNT

 I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture.  The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

    My mailbox is flooded daily with requests from non-profits for funds, political advertisements (it is election season!).  Some of it is addressed to 'Occupant' but most identifies me by name. The enclosed letter starts with a Dear Ginger! - a sense of familiarity. They know if they call me by name they might get my attention.  But unlike God, these agencies don't really know me.  A computer knows me - and a computer is WAY DIFFERENT from a personal relationship with God. 

     When Jesus says he is the entrance, the gate, into a new type of living, it is personal.  This is an invitation to experience love, community, grace, and forgiveness in a totally new way.  This is the Shepherd's promise of rich, green pastures - fullness of life. No guarantee that the 'wolves' of life might not come, but the assurance the Shepherd will be there all the way. 
      Follow the Shepherd.  Enter the gate.  The 'mail' you find on the other side is worth opening.  

TUESDAY, May 6   Voices

John 10: 4-6 MSG

When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about.

As an baby-in-the-womb,
I knew just one voice: Mother.
It was a voice of comfort and security,
A soothing, calming melody of sound.
A voice I could trust. 
A voice I recognized above all else.  

Now I am out-of-womb;
Into a world of confusion and chaos.
I hear voices.
Not the 'I'm-crazy' kind of voices, 
But voices I don't recognize mingling 
  with those I trust. 
Voices of Temptation,
Voices of Betrayal. 
Voices that can lead me into wrong.
All mixed up in a verbal barrage of invitation.

Where is my mother's voice?
Where is the voice of Comfort and Guidance?
Where is the voice I recognize?

Know your Mother-Shepherd. 
Know the Shepherd's voice.
And in the midst of chaos and confusion,
You will never be led astray. 

MONDAY, May 5  Names

John 10:1-3 VOICE

Jesus: I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal.  The shepherd walks openly through the entrance.  The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

         Names.  Some of us struggle to remember names.  Yet to be called by name is such a special and personal invitation.  To be called by name is to be part of a community.  Our Shepherd has no such troubles remembering our names.  He KNOWS us intimately.  We should make a better attempt to treat others in that same way.  When introduced, concentrate on some facet of the name or person that will help us put a name to the face when we meet again.  There is a lady in our church who absolutely beams when she returns after an absence of weeks or months and is welcomed....by name.  It makes a difference.  

            But to ponder a second point....do we always recognize our Shepherd's voice?  Do we always listen to the One who calls us so personally?  We have to spend time with the Shepherd to know his voice and to follow in the right direction.  Sometimes we are led astray by false voices.  Take time with the Shepherd and the voice will become clear.  

BENEDICTION BLESSINGS....

 (d365.org - from "Follow the Shepherd Home" by Mindy Smith) 

When my paper heart’s in a frantic wind
And I fear I'm all alone,
My whisper is heard when I call out to him
And I follow the shepherd home.

All the burdens weighing on my back
Aren't so heavy after all.
Faith is knowing you need only ask.
You can follow the shepherd home.
You can follow the shepherd home.