Best Moments in Biblical History

I’m driving along the thruway tuned to national public radio that has invited a radio sports announcer to share his thoughts about ‘the best moments in baseball history.” In his opinion, his colleague Vince Scully announced the greatest moment in baseball when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. Scully captured that historic moment in a way that was like writing a best selling novel.

Henry Aaron came to the plate for his second bat of the game. He walked in the second inning and now he took a ball on the first pitch. Downing was the pitcher and on the second pitch, you heard Vince announce: “Butler goes to the fence and… it is gone.” Pandemonium broke out and you just hear the sound of booming fireworks in the background on the radio. Vince stopped for a few moments for his radio listeners to listen and share in the joy of the fans as Henry rounded the bases.

Finally, he came back on the air and in the most profound statement you ever heard from a radio sports announcer described that magical moment in this way:

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the State of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking the record of the all time idol of baseball. This is a great moment for all of us and particularly Henry Aaron.”

Now I wonder how a radio sportscaster might announce the events of the Last Supper. Here are the players gathered in the upper room, their leader comes to the table ready to lead his team into the Passover meal. But before they begin their prayers, Jesus excuses himself from the table and returns with an apron wrapped around his waist with a basin of water. Curious, his teammates wonder what this gesture is all about.

This player gets down on his knees and starts to wash the feet of Paul. His fellow teammates are astounded that Jesus would perform such a menial task usually left for the servants. At this moment, there is awkward silence not a standing ovation. They sit uneasy in their seats and simply watch as he rounds the table performing this washing ritual for each member of the team.

One player puts up a stink; it is Peter who doesn’t understand the meaning of this moment. But Jesus quickly settles him down and says that it’s OK. Not to worry, nothing bad will happen to you and we all will be eating soon in the Kingdom of Heaven. For now, put aside your protest and feeling inadequate for I need to do this for you. Then the announcer says:

“What a marvelous moment for salvation history. What a marvelous moment for Galilee and the Nation of Israel. What a marvelous moment for the world and the universe. A Jew from a Roman occupied colony is getting the most profound admiration for breaking the rules of the Mosaic tradition. What a great moment for all of us and particularly for Jesus.” Is this not the best moment of Jesus in biblical history?

God prays for us as we reflect: “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13: 15).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends on Easter morning, waiting for our turn at the plate to swing our bat and hit a homerun. Help us to wrap ourselves in the towel of compassion for at that moment God and all the angels of heaven will give us a standing ovation. What a marvelous moment for heaven and for each of you.

Dancing With God

It is safe to love. Yes, it is safe to be vulnerable because we are in loving hands. It is safe to surrender because we fall into light, not darkness. It is safe to be weak because the strength we need is found when we give up on our own power. It is safe to give up the hurts we cling to because these lose their force when we are in love. It is safe to trust, to let our loved ones be free, because a power beyond us loves them more than we do and ultimately takes care of their safety. It is safe to give ourselves over without fear because, as faith teaches, in the end, all will be well.

But it’s not easy to believe that. Perhaps if we had all been loved perfectly, had perfect confidence, and had never been wounded, disappointed, betrayed, or made to cry tears of regret, we would find it easier to believe that it is safe, that we can trust, that we have no need to protect ourselves, and that we do not need to be forever anxious about how we are measuring up, how we are being perceived, how we are being understood, and whether we are worthy of love.

Most of the time we find it hard to trust because we find ourselves wounded, lacking confidence, anxious about many things, feeling the need to protect ourselves. It is hard to trust and especially it is hard to show weakness and to be vulnerable. In the air we breathe everywhere we inhale a distrust that makes us want to show a superior strength, attractiveness, talent, intelligence, self-reliance, and cool detachment. Distrust and self- protection are everywhere. It’s hard to let ourselves be vulnerable, to trust that it is safe to love.

And yet, deep down, vulnerability and surrender are what we most deeply want. At every level, we need and want surrender. Morally and religiously, the entire gospels can be put into one word: Surrender. Emotionally, psychologically, and sexually the deepest imperative inside of us is simply: Surrender. And, deeper than all of our anxieties and our need to protect ourselves, lies a truth we know at the core of our being, namely, that in the end we cannot take care of ourselves, we cannot make ourselves whole, and we cannot hide our weaknesses from each other. We need to surrender, to trust, to let ourselves fall into stronger and safer hands than our own.

How do we move towards trust? Let me share this story to help you learn to surrender. When, I meditate on the word Guidance, I see "dance" at the end of the word. I remember that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God," "u" and "i" dance." God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

God prays for us as we reflect: “You changed my mourning into dancing…” (Psalm 30:12).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that God’s blessings and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through this Spring and each season of your life.

The Best Version of Yourself

On a cold, damp Saturday morning I volunteered to take photos of a local indoor horse show. It is a challenge to take indoor photos of horses jumping across crossties. But the real challenge were these young ladies on their horses trying to maintain their balance and show the judge that they were in tune with their horse. To be the best version we can be takes practice, patience and an encouraging trainer. These young people had an abundance of love and encouragement in the stands and from their trainers.

Our young people were quite nervous while tacking their horses and getting their numbers tied around their waist. Once in the ring, they had to listen to the announcer as she re-laid the commands of the judge who was watching each rider walk, trot, cantor and jump in the ring. Sometimes, thankfully not often, a young lady would approach the jump and her horse would stop, hurling our rider through the air. A breathless moment as parents and trainer grasped, but the resilience of these young riders was evident as they would simply bounce up from the dirt and get back on their horse.

Sadly, our tendency in our life journey is to fall when we are unstable and this makes us afraid to try new things. The example of our young fearless riders is that you simply brush yourself off and get back in the saddle. They learn from their trainers that the best commands never come from a whip, but a gentle touch of the leg and a balance that tells the horse that "we are the best version that we can be." Gentleness, understanding, compassion are the commands these creatures best respond to in a rider. However, you also learn alot by the spills and how you rise to the surface. These children were awe inspiring to anymore who faces challenges in life like a broken relationship or broken promise and learn to find a way to mount the hills of life and get back into the journey.

Stunning horse show images capture the precise moment rider and horse approach a jump and prepare to go over the rail. It takes spilt second timing, a wide-open lens, fast ASA, a much better camera than I can afford and over a thousand photos were taken that day. Despite this challenge, I uncovered a surprise that occurred in the barn when no one was looking. It caught my eye and I want to share this moment of love. It seems as our young rider was waiting her turn in the ring, she took a stroll through the barn to pet one of the horses. This horse knew our young person was nervous so she tossed his nose in her direction for a pet to calm her nerves. What are you nervous about these days? Losing your job, your health not the best, someone misunderstood your intention and you were scolded and rejected by those who care only for themselves.

God prays for us as we reflect: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends during this Joyful Season of Lent that when they need the comfort and understanding of a loving God. May they come to rest in your hands as you gently pick them up off the ground and put them back in the saddle. Enjoy the ride with a trainer who knows how to keep you in balance so that your spirit will reveal the best version of yourself.

The Road is Closed

It’s 4am and I am driving to the ocean to take photos of a morning sunrise at Merritt Island National Park. The GPS in this borrowed truck talks to the driver on the way to my final destination. What it failed to take into account are detours. Arriving in Titusville at 5:30am, the directions tell me to continue straight when in reality I was carefully maneuvering through construction caution lights and come upon a blockade that stated: “The Bridge is Closed.” It’s pitch dark, the GPS voice goes silent and I am turning around and going back into town. The local 7/11 is open so I ask the clerk for directions, but she has no clue. I decide to follow my gut and simply drive along the streets of Titusville when I notice a body of water along a shoreline with a sign that says: “Rotary Riverfront Park Brevard County.” Who would know what follows?

A few palm trees, a picnic shelter, and a rather menacing dock that extended out into the dark waters and across the bay. It is now 6am and the predawn light is making it way into the horizon. To my surprise, another person is standing on the dock with a tripod and a mini-camera. After a brief introduction, he shares that he is a local student taking pictures for his art class. When I ask him WHERE AM I? He kindly informs me that we are on the bay across from Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island. If the sky is clear without any clouds the sun should rise near the rocket tower.

Many times are journeys in life fall short or are interrupted by unexplained events. What appears to be a detour, a job lost, broken friendship, misguided information leads to other surprises that we would have never anticipated. I believe that our journey with God is to lead us to happiness. Yes, despite our worst fears, our panic, our imaginations goes wild, we are given another chance by God to follow His Way that many times takes us to new locations, meeting new people or putting us in new situations that we never dream. Being open to that spirit might launch us out of our boring jobs into a fulfilling vocation, a road closed might take us to a new location where we get to see life from a new perspective. Remember God does not want us to simply survive in this world with its fears, but to thrive in a way that we take God’s spirit of generosity and kindness to all people in need of a lift.

Sometimes things just don’t work out as we had hoped and planned. We become physically and emotionally worn out, and feel that we will not be able to go on like this in the dark. Then the dawn comes and new surprises come our way. This takes patience, perseverance and trust that God is watching over our shoulder protecting us from ill winds.

The image this morning was quite a surprise for this was not the location the GPS was programmed to me to that morning. I later discovered that my original destination was a two-hour detour due to a broken bridge and so I never arrived at the Visitor Center. We would have to return for another visit.

But take a moment to relax with this image that was a gift and a surprise! Does it not reflect the beauty of nature and the glory of God? On that day, you were in bed and a major snowstorm was dumping 27" on snow in Rochester. But in another far away place and only 32 degrees in Cape Canaveral, God rerouted my destination to remind you that are never lost or abandoned. God holds you each in the palm of his hands.

God prays for us as we reflect: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel lost and brokened in their journey of life. At times we are misunderstood, yet our friends provide a needed that we are never alone. Let your spirit nudge us in our hearts to realize that when we surrender to your will, all good things will follow.