Eye of Love

God never overpowers, never twists arms, and never pushes your face into something so as to take away your freedom. And nowhere is this more true than in what is revealed in the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels assure us that the resurrection was physical, real, not just some alteration inside the consciousness of believers. After the resurrection, Jesus’ tomb was empty, people could touch him, he ate food with them, and he was not a ghost.

The resurrection did not make breaking news on CNN. After he rose from the dead, Jesus was seen by some, but not by others; understood by some, but not by others. Some got his meaning and it changed their lives, others were indifferent to him, and still others understood what had happened, hardened their hearts against it, and tried to destroy its truth.

Why this difference? What makes some people see the resurrection while others do not? What lets some understand the mystery and embrace it, while others are left in indifference or hatred?

Hugo of St. Victor used to say: Love is the eye! When we look at anything through the eyes of love, we see correctly, understand, and properly appreciate its mystery. The reverse is also true. When we look at anything through eyes that are jaded, cynical, jealous, or bitter, we will not see correctly, will not understand, and will not properly appreciate its mystery.

Two weeks ago, volunteers from our parish cooked a homemade pork and mashed potato meal for the “gentlemen,” the inmates from Attica. They have worked hard for seven months to remodel and restore the rectory, stain glass windows of the church and the parish school.

There darkness was the consequences of their drug addiction, losing their freedom, not being with their loved ones. However, on this special morning, the ladies of our parish gave these men back their dignity and offered them the love of this community. You should have seen the surprise on their faces as the homemade food was being passed around the tables. A lightness came across their faces as they were being fed real food from the hands of real people who offered it with the eye of love. As one inmate remarked: “homemade beats prison food anytime.”

What characterizes Holy Family Catholic Community is it oddness. Holy Family is home for people who are out of step, unfashionable, and unconventional. Hanging in the air throughout this catholic church is the heavenly smell of incense mingled with the piggy fragrance of sweaty hardworking farmers and a messy shepherd who gets stuck in manure.

Christ is risen, though we might not see him. The miraculous doesn’t force itself on us. It’s there, there to be seen, but whether we see or not, and what precisely we do see, depends mainly upon what’s going on inside our own hearts.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they have the eye of love and  believe that He has risen. Blessed Easter to each of you and all the members of your family.

Humiliation-Stuck in Manure

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When Jesus sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked his Father to let the cup of suffering pass him by he wasn’t, for the most part, cringing before the prospect of brute physical suffering. He was cringing before the prospect of a very particular kind of suffering that is generally more feared than physical pain. Crucifixion was designed to humiliate the person. Among other things, the person was stripped naked before being hung on a cross so that his genitals would be publicly exposed. As well, at the moment of death his bowels would loosen. Crucifixion clearly had humiliation in mind.

We have tended to downplay this aspect, both in our preaching and in our art. We have surrounded the cross with roses, with aesthetic and antiseptic wrapping towels. But that was not the case for Jesus. His nakedness was exposed, his body publicly humiliated. That is why many of his disciples abandoned Jesus and scattered after the crucifixion. They simply couldn’t connect this kind of humiliation with glory, divinity, and triumph.

What experiences in your life have you felt ashamed, a powerlessness from which you were unable to protect yourself, an abuse from which you could not defend yourself, an inadequacy of body or mind that has left you vulnerable, a humiliating incident that once happened to you, or some mistake you made that publicly exposed your lack of knowledge or strength in some area.

I was on my tractor yesterday planning to turn over the manure pile from the winter. No sooner had I moved the manure pile that I found my front and back tires spinning in the manure and mud. I rolled my eyes and thought to myself “this can’t be.” I tried to roll the tractor back and forth but it was stuck in the manure. Desperate, I got some wood boards to insert under the tires but it made no difference. Frustrated and exhausted after an hour and half, I got the chains to pull the tractor and discovered that I did not know how to hook them up. Humiliated, I called my neighbor for help. He came with two trucks figuring I was stuck in some ditch. When he came to the my side, I got back into the tractor and he said, “ did you put it four wheel drive.” No, I forgot that I have four wheel drive. Embarrassed, the tractor was out of the muddy patch in seconds and this priest was redeemed and humiliated. My friend told me not to worry, you are not a farmer who does this work for a living. I'm glad that you were not hurt when you called for help.

There are moments when we feel up to our necks in manure and wonder how will we get ourselves out of this smelly mess.

What is the connection between this type of pain and the glory of Easter Sunday? Why is it, as the gospels say, “necessary to first suffer in this manner so as to enter into glory?”

Because, paradoxically, a certain depth of soul can only be attained through a certain depth of humiliation. How and why is this so? It isn’t easy to articulate rationally but we can understand this through experience:

All of us, like Jesus, have been, in one way or another, hung up publicly and humiliated. In these helpless moments we attain a depth of soul.

Humiliation can makes us deep in character, understanding, graciousness, and forgiveness or we can be deep in anger, bitterness, revenge seeking, and murder. Jesus’ crucifixion stretched his heart and made it huge in empathy, graciousness, and forgiveness. But it doesn’t always work that way.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have felt the wounds of humiliation and shame from their family and friends. Help us to handle that wound not with bitterness but forgiveness.

Heavenly Home

 

NORTH JAVA - Joe McMahon and Kelly Smith were between a rock and a hard place.

Finding good and affordable housing is hard enough locally. But add seven kids and landlords can become less than accommodating.

Joe and Kelly’s dilemma has proven just the ticket for Holy Family Parish. Faced with a large and vacant rectory, the church was looking for somebody to fill the space.

Call it a match made in Heaven.

“It’s a pretty long story,” Joe said Tuesday. “We were pretty down on our luck, as far as we can get.”

Both natives of the Buffalo area, Joe and Kelly were living in Arcade until a few months ago, when they and their family were evicted from the place they’d resided for the previous six years.

The family was facing about year’s wait until they could get a home loan for military vets — Joe had served in the Marines — and their outlook wasn’t brightening.

They moved to a small place in Delevan in Cattaraugus County briefly, while one of their daughters stayed with Kelly’s mother. They also spent a few months in a hotel, always looking for suitable new housing.

“We were so freaked out,” Joe said. “We lived in this place six years, and we were given 29 days’ notice. Seven kids, we were like, ‘How is this going to work?’ We were concentrating on moving our stuff out, but where the hell are we going to go?”

Kelly said there’s a lot of ignorance, and they wouldn’t get calls back, after telling prospective landlords how many kids they had. They reached the point of saying they had four children, but didn’t want to lie.

“We were close to moving in with family members,” Joe said. “Hers or mine, and I was close to moving in with my brother.”

Enter Holy Family Parish, whose advertisement the couple saw in a local pennysaver.

“We wouldn’t believe how excited we were when we saw that,” Joe said.

The rectory had been vacant for about 10 years, during which the parish was shut by Buffalo’s Roman Catholic Diocese, and was later resurrected by the Polish National Catholic Church.

The building’s office was used occasionally for meetings in recent years, but it was otherwise unused. And its size made it a good choice for larger families, with six bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a kitchen and more.

Thus the parishioners wanted the old rectory to be used. It was rehabbed last summer, including significant repairs by inmate work crews from the New York State Department of Corrections.

The rectory first hosted a nearby family burnt out by a fire in 2012, and then a single mom with six children until last August, when it became vacant again.

“We don’t want it to sit empty because there are people who can use it,” said Karen Wilson, who belongs to the parish’s building committee. “I put an ad in the paper, and Joe and Kelly were the first ones to answer it. Then I had three or four phone calls. I showed to three more families, but most of them didn’t qualify, because we won’t allow any pets or smoking.”

And it proved perfect for the couple and their family.

North Java is close to Arcade, where Joe works at his longtime API Air Tech job. It also provides relatively easy access to Attica Central School for the couple’s younger children, along with East Aurora, where their oldest children still attend.

“We could have gone South Buffalo way, but we both decided the schooling out here is safer,” Joe said. “Our kids grew up out here. That was a big point of staying in this area.

“My daughters basically went to school since kindergarten out here,” Kelly added. “We lived out here, and I like it out in this area too.”

Joe and Kelly looked at the rectory early last month. They received approval from the parish, and moved officially on March 16. They pay a basic “user fee” to cover the utilities and basic upkeep.

The couple have proverbially “hit it off” with Karen and their new neighbors, and are planning to stay awhile. And the full rectory helps fulfill the parish’s own mission.

“So far the family is ecstatic,” said Rev. Matt Kawiak, the parish pastor. “They’ve got some stability, and the parish s elated that after six months of renovation ... that they’ve found somebody who needed a place to stay. It’s a win-win for both, the community as well as the family.”

“It’s like God answered their prayers in my feelings,” Wilson said. “It’s like God sent them here, and they’re supposed to be here. The house is now alive with children. It’s a big house with a lot of bedrooms, and it’s going to keep everything alive.”

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who open their homes to family and friends in distress. May the spirit of hospitality bring our family closer together during the Easter Season. 

Who's Packing Your Parachute?

 

There’s a story about a navy jet pilot in Vietnam whose plane was destroyed by surface-to air missile. He ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. Gratefully, he survived the ordeal, and now spends his time lecturing on the lessons he learned from that experience.

One day while sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said excitedly’ You’re the pilot who flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and you were shot down! How in the world did you know that? Asked the amazed pilot. The man replied; “I packed your parachute. The airman shook his hand in gratitude and said; “Well, I guess it worked!” And they parted. End of coincidence. Nice story? Not quite.

The pilot began to think of the many hours that ordinary sailor spent in the bowels of the ship folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t know. Having thought about that meeting, this veteran now asks his audience when he lectures: Who's packing your parachute? His point is that everyone has someone who has packed their parachutes, who has blessed them, who has provided what they need to make it though the day.

Ask yourself, who blessed you this week. Our parish has been blessed with the craftsman skill of an inmate who has opened up the sanctuary and revealed two beautiful stain glass windows that have been covered for decades. On my recent trauma response, I was the guest of a special couple who took care of me with their warm hospitality and sent me home with homemade breads and a spring pussy willow wreath.

So as we continue our Lenten journey. Whose parachute have you packed? Or should have packed? Who did you bless this week? Family and friends. Sometimes, in the daily challenges of life that life gives us, we miss what really is important.

We are called to bless. It was also predicted of us: "In you all families of the earth shall be blessed." Lent is the time to recall how we are blessed and how we bless others. If there is a failure to bless, Lent is the time to repent, to confess and to promise to do better. Most of all Lent is simply time to recall your awesome vocation. We are here on earth to be a blessing to others.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink, when I was sick, you visited me.” (Matt 25:35).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are a blessing to others. Start packing parachutes and start blessing those who packed yours. By the way, have you adopted a rescued hen? Contact your local animal shelter and have them contact the ASPCA to provide a safe haven for one of God’s beautiful creatures.

Save the Hens

 

“Scum bags” was the term the rescue team used to describe the people responsible for the cruel treatment of 4,000 roosters and hens. Discovered on some remote farmland, the birds were being bred for cock fighting matches. The conditions these animals were living in was disgraceful. Starving and frozen, suffering from neglect and disease, a compassionate rescue team of professionals set about the task of saving these maltreated creatures.

I was contacted across the country to come on site and help this rescue team cope with their emotions since a decision was made that 2,000 roosters would have to be euthanized.

This was not the ordinary rescue mission for these team members. They had extensive experience coming to natural disasters such as tornadoes or hurricanes. They had rescued hundreds of lost dogs, cats and a variety of animal species. Their task was always to nurse these small creatures back to health and in many cases happily restore the pets back to their owners.

This was a criminal case. Evidence had to be gleaned from tags attached to each rooster’s wing feathers. The sad reality was that these animals were raised to be aggressive and used for gambling in cock fighting matches. Changing the birds aggressive nature was unfortunately not an option. Therefore, the humane decision was to euthanize each animal.

One seasoned rescue member shared that this was not part of their job description. Their purpose was always to save and rehabilitate the animals. Bringing animals back to health and restoring them to their owners or help in finding a new loving home. It was gut wrenching to observe each handler struggle with each bird fighting for its survival. However, the handlers carried out their duty with precision and grace. With dignity, they reached inside each cage and grasped the rooster who then would first be put to sleep and later received their injection from the veterinarian in a humane manner.

I was humbled to work along side each rescue member, taking the euthanized birds over to the forensic team to examine each animal for evidence. These people would gently place each bird on the exam table to be processed and identified and then with dignity placed back into its box and handed over to their final resting place. A decision was made to save the remaining hens that numbered close to 2,000. They are currently being fed and watered and waiting for their new homes throughout the country.

Similar to 9/11, never in my widest dreams did I imagine that I would be called upon to support such an outstanding team of rescue workers. Sometimes we find ourselves in unique situations that demand our very best. The rescue work was exhausting both physically and emotionally. I observed the highest degree of respect for each bird as they were carried to their final resting place. For some lucky hens, their life will go on as they continue to receive food and care until someone comes to adopt each one. In my heart, these people are true heroes in giving each rooster dignity at the end of life and helping to find homes for the remaining hens. This was one of the most unique critical incident services that I have been called upon to serve since 9/11. God was truly present in the way each person served to protect and care for each animal.At the final debriefing, i complimented this team for their compassionate work and told them to take the day off when they returned home to their families.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” (Psalm 37:40).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are victims of violence. May God keep you safe. If you would like to adopt a rescued hen, call your local animal shelter and have them contact the ASPCA to provide a safe haven for one of God’s beautiful creatures.

Fish Or Cut Bait

“Fish or Cut Bait” was the title of a chapter that focused on the need to quit making excuses for lifetime of rude behavior. Quite frankly, this man  admitted that he had come to see me to give up his demon alcohol and anger that made him “mean spirited.”

Two months ago, he promised himself to get help for his drinking. However, he realized that his anger was the real “beast.” He was loud, vulgar and a real terror to his wife and children. He faced an ultimatum from his spouse, either he gets help or risk losing his family.

A few months of sobriety led to some new discoveries. He was learning to be quiet within, but he admitted to me that there still was this “beast” inside of him that he felt would never leave his side. The “beast” actually made him feel good. He admitted that he enjoyed it. It was like the effect you feel when you are using a drug. If he was going to confront his “beast” he had to learn that he was powerless.

One day, while visiting his mother, she made the comment that she had noticed a significant change in his behavior. She gave her son a necklace that had a black wooden cross and told him:  “Wearing this cross means you are in the company of Jesus Christ and He wants you to carry him around wherever you go.” Jesus will be your guide and your wisdom to learn the humility and gentleness that had been missing for decades. He took the necklace and put it around his neck and he began to sob. Not cry, or whimper, but sobs of tears were pouring down his cheeks. The tears were decades of pain that he had been carrying inside his gut. The “beast” turns out to be all the hurt and pain he felt as he was growing up and his response was putting on the tough guy mask who didn’t care much for anybody including himself.

If you receive your ashes on your forehead with the sign of a cross, think about the beast that stalks you at this stage in life. What are the excuses you keep making that prevent you from making the changes that will reflect the life of Jesus Christ. We are powerless to overcome the beast, but let the ashes be a sign that you want to walk with Jesus Christ as your companion who promises to lead us out of our darkness in to the light of truth and love.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.” (Psalm 73:22).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel powerless at times with their beast. May this Lenten season be an opportunity to make changes in our life that will make a difference and lead us closer to Our Lord’s wisdom and love.

Eternity Leads to Overflowing Platters

 

Just returned from "pre-lenten breakfast" at the parish. When I asked the volunteer who cooked the breakfast what sparked this tradition. She simply smiled and shared that maybe this would be the last time folks would enjoy  "bacon" before Lent. She was not worried about how much food to make because in the past she always seemed to have enough food to go around. I envy this kind of trust.

Jesus reminds us to stop "worrying" — worrying about food, worrying about the snow, worrying about our looks, worrying about our 401K in order to retire. Jesus knew the real needs for sustenance and shelter. They were a daily challenge for the average day laborer in first-center Palestine — as they are in twenty-first century America. He knows how hard it is to make ends meet — then and now. For folks in this faith community in order to make ends meet, you must do more than farming. Some drive a school bus, others are collecting maple sap in their woods, some work at a grocery store, some do child care in their homes, a few board horses with lots of mucking, some sell online products to help pay their household bills. And its a fact, nobody retires anymore, we all have to go back to work part-time to make ends meet.

Jesus stated, "your heavenly Father knows what you need." However, he doesn't want to offer us just a daily full plate. Jesus wants to offer us an eternity of overflowing platters. Not just a life of sustenance, but a life of abundance. A life overflowing and brimming over. A life that provides more than bread in our belly and a shirt on our back. The journey Jesus invites us to join feeds our soul, and clothes our mind, and fills our heart.

Before every car and every cell phone had its own GPS device planted in it, we used to plan trips with a series of maps and guidebooks. I used the  Triple A" "trip-tick" for mapping my camping journeys across the country.  The travel agent would plot it with a magic-marker. The "trip-tic" provided both regional maps, giving you an idea of how much geography you had to cover, and small, individual maps, focusing on the next fifty or one hundred miles. Off-ramps, restaurants, gas stations, rest stops — the AAA trip-tick gave you the "heads up" on everything that you were heading towards.

When we journey with Jesus we also get our own personal guidance "system". But God doesn't produce subs and blankets to see us through our kingdom-of-God journey. God doesn't send us mere sustenance. God offers us abundance. So God sends us guides to be with us and provide us with all we need to continue in our kingdom walk.

The guides are part of a divinely programmed guidance systems, that accompany us on our Jesus journey towards the kingdom of God. If you join Jesus on "The Way," you can count on these guides... The Guide Within, The Guide Beside, and The Guide Above.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” (Psalm 143:10).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who struggle to make ends meet. Help us to listen to our guides within, beside and above that will feed us overflowing platters.

Flowers Do Listen

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March first is the beginning of the Philadelphia Flower Show. I had the opportunity of attending many years ago with a busload of floral designers. In one of the workshops, we studied a spiritual form of Japanese flower-arranging called Ikebana-Sangetsu. I discovered a deeper understanding of the connection between all life.

In our session, the teacher said that flowers could actually talk, that they each have their own way of being beautiful. They have "prana," life force, so you have to pay full attention to them, rather than imposing your own ideas of beauty on them. So after the sessions, I went home to practice and ask the flowers how they wanted to be arranged, what positioning would make them feel most beautiful, and I waited and listened.

Even after the flowers had been set in the vase, I would discover sometimes that in the morning they had rearranged themselves during the night. Even though they were secured in the vase, they always seemed to be minutely straining to find their right place. At the same time, they were not fully independent; they needed loving care. They were dependent on me, or whomever their caretaker was for the day, to water them, to keep them moist.

Sometimes I would watch other people spraying water on the arrangements and I would feel so moved. The droplets left on the green petals and flower buds seemed to be dewdrops of compassion, so delicately poised, touching the source of life, nourishing the heart of beauty.

This experience made me feel how simple it could be, if our minds and hearts are set in the right way, to water not only plants, but human beings -- to treat all living creatures in a way that allows them their right to be beautiful, in their own space and time.

What we came to notice in our session was that flowers could also listen. Our teacher urged us to always remind the flowers when we passed how beautiful they were and to thank them for sharing that beauty with us.

When we did this, when we made our arrangements with this kind of love and devotion, we always found that the flowers remained beautiful and fresh for many more days than expected.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:12). We can only hope!

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who look forward to spring. Help us to listen to our family and friends as beautiful and allow one another to grow in their space and time.

It's All About the Shadows

Another day of winter, but worse, another day without the sun. Camera in hand, I’m prodding along in a foot of snow looking for something interesting to shoot. The sun is hidden behind more gray clouds. For a brief moment, the sun peaks out behind the clouds and an amazing thing happens. The shadows begin to dance in the forest.

The sun stays hidden and my toes are getting frostbitten, but I’m looking up into the sky to see if there’s any break in the clouds. The need is for patience, but freezing in the cold and exhausted from walking the trails, I can’t wait to get back indoors. I see another opportunity when the sun will break through the clouds and shine on the snow, but it will last only a few seconds.

We are an impatient people, and I am guilty of moving too fast and not being in the moment. So, I stop for a second and say to myself, I came out here two hours ago to take photos of deer in the snowy woods, but they are hiding. So my next best shot will be the shadows when the sun peaks through. I need to be more patient, look into the sky and notice a patch of blue approaching, I can walk back to a sweet spot in the woods where some nice shadows will appear. I’m breaking through the ice, falling on the slippery hill, but manage to get back to the spot when the sun reappears and I’m ready to focus in on the “dancing shadows.”

It’s not museum quality, but it turns out to be a stunning image of trees dressed in their finest white tails, with the sun piercing down on the forest floor to create a beautiful array of shadows dancing in the trees.

Maybe, it’s only my imagination, or I’m just exhausted from walking in the snow drifts, but I believe we all need a “sacred space” to get away from this noisy world and winter storms to find a place where God invites us to be at peace in our hearts and soul.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. (Psalm 43:3).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are feeling exhausted from all the winter storms. Global warming means more severe weather and more storms in life. Protect us from harm and keep our families safe and may we find rest in your gentle light and hidden among the shadows.

Live in the Light

A woman shared that she stopped using heroin four months ago and she wanted to stop all her drug habits. She remembered her grandmother’s saying: “Let your light shine and be happy.” However, abandoned by her mother at eight, she became the caregiver to two younger siblings. Dad was responsible and took care of his children. But when her brother was dying, she called her mother whose reply was that she would not be available to come and see her son before he died. The resentment and coldness of this reply left her empty and bitter.

For more than thirty years she struggled with two addictions: alcohol and drugs. She had them enough under control that she could essentially hide them from her family, friends, and colleagues. She never acted out in very dangerous ways. She was addicted, but still had good control in her life. The problem was that she was living a double life—showing one life to her family and friends and living another life secretly (alcohol, heroin, marijuana) on the side. Her life slowly began to fixate around her addictions—hiding them, lying about her activities, fiercely protecting her privacy, resentment towards anything or anybody who stood between her addictions, and daily anxiety, scheming about where she would go at night. She functioned decently and raised children of her own, but her mind, heart, and real attention were focused on something else, her next hit.

She’s not sure what the exact trigger was since there were a number of things that hit her at a point (her brother’s death, her mother’s lack of compassion, some real shame, some graced moments of clarity when she sensed both her hypocrisy and the dead-end road she was on. She said it was time to turn her life around and she has been clean for four months and she described it that she 'can see the light and color again.' “Nothing feels as great as honesty! I have never been this happy! I'm now living in the light!"

We are called to live in the light. To live in the light means to live in honesty, pure and simple, to be transparent, to not have part of us hidden as a dark secret. We move towards spiritual health precisely by flushing out our sickest secrets and bringing them into the light. Sobriety is more about living in honesty and transparency than it is about living without a certain chemical. It's the hiding of something, the lying, the dishonesty, the deception, the resentment we harbor towards those who stand between us and our addiction, that does the real damage to us and to those we love.

Spiritual health lies in honesty and transparency and so we live in the light when we are willing to lay every part of our lives open to examination by those who need to trust us.

• To live in the light is to be able always to tell our loves ones where we are and what we are doing.

• To live in the light is not have to worry if someone traces what websites we have visited.

• To live in the light is to not be anxious if someone in the family finds our files unlocked.

• To live in the light is to be able to let those we live with listen to what's inside our cell-phones, see what's inside our emails, and know who's on our speed-dial.

• To live in the light is to have a confessor and/or therapist to be able to tell that person what we struggle with, without having to hide anything.

• To live in the light is to live in such a way that, for those who know us, our lives are an open book.

God invites us to listen to his words: “For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13). 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are living in darkness. Inspire them to seek help and trust that God wants us to be clean and free of all our addictions and “walk before God in the light of life.”

What Did You Come To Teach Me?

 

A woodworking friend shared this true story that he went to visit a “master woodworker” to see this man’s work and gets some tips. He walked into the store and was amazed at the beauty of this master’s creations. He introduced himself and asked him for some wooding pointers. The man’s response appeared to be rather rude: “What did you come to teach me?”

My friend was caught off guard and felt embarrassed since he was nowhere near the skill level of this artist. He grew silent, walked around the store for a few more minutes and was ready to walk out the door when the master called back: “Where are you going?”

My embarrassed friend was perplexed and he said that he had come to learn a few pointers to take home to his shop. This master politely told my friend that he meant no disrespect from his comment: “What did you come to teach me?” Rather, he reassured my friend that in any meeting with a person his philosophy was that if we listen carefully to one another there is always something we can learn from each other. There might be one point of view or phrase that we hang to that will make a difference in our life if we only listen carefully to one another.

It seems that this man was not purposely insulting his visitor but wanted to assure him that we are all have something very important inside of us to share from our unique experiences. So next time you are confronted by a person who appears to be lost or afraid or not quite with it. Instead of rolling our eyes or ignoring their comments give them a chance to share who they are and their life experience and they might teach you something new.

I am learning from my woodworking friend that you can take a round bowl that has dried for six months into a oblong, distorted shape and mold it back into a beautiful round bowl. You have to be careful as you spin the wheel at 1020 rpms. But it is possible to turn that wobbly mess and craft it into a thing of beauty.

So if you think your life is out of shape and you have dried up into a cold, crusty person that no longer fits the mold of Christ. Maybe it's time to come back to the Jesus and listen to his words so that He can give you direction and make a difference in your life.

God invites us to listen to his words and what do you hear? “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.” (Psalm 78:1).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel out of sorts or no longer worthy to come back to church. Let this be an invitation to return to church where you feel welcomed and accepted and learn that Jesus wants you to know that you are His child made in His image to bring glory to his world. What’s your glory and how will you bring it to others today?

You Got To Be Kidding

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I walked into the door of the local country post office and I could see from the expression on the clerk’s face that something was terribly wrong. A customer was waiting at her desk, another senior lady was behind him and the clerk informed me that it would be awhile because her computer was “frozen.”

This frustrated postal clerk was on the phone with “tech support.” But from the moaning I overheard it sounded more like “damage control.” “You got to be kidding,” she mumbled talking to customer service. “It has never taken this long before” she shared with the rest of us. Our senior lady piped up with the profound comment  “computers are the ruin of humanity.”  I would not go that far, but the problem appeared that the clerk’s login name and password were not allowing her to complete any transactions.

I learned that the young man at the desk ordered a money order. He had given the clerk his money, but she was unable to print out the money order and worse her moneybox was locked and she could not open it because her computer was “frozen.”

The senior lady I believe was an angel in disguise since she needed eight books of stamps and she had the exact change to pay with cash. She wanted to be helpful and told the clerk that if this were happening to her “she would be in tears.”

Our senior angel gave her cash to the clerk and said she hoped it was enough to return the money back to the young man who was waiting for his money order. What a sweetie!

To be confronted with a frozen computer, or placed “on hold” with tech support sadly is a common experience in our tech savvy world. What is not so savvy is how we choose to respond. How would you handle this annoying situation? Our postal clerk was kicking the boxes, rolling her eyes and mumbling: “you got to be kidding.” When she hung up the phone and discovered that her computer was still inoperable she told me that she could not help at this time. I told her that it was not her fault that she was doing the best she could and I would return another day.

The reality is that you are going to face lots of situations that are not in your control. The next time your computer screen goes blue, you will cry like a baby. Thank you Mr. Gates. But our relief comes in a faith that says yes there is suffering in the world and our faith gives us the patience and perseverance to hang tight. Don’t lose your cool. All computer glitches eventually get fixed but hopefully not at the expense of our health or sanity.

God prays for us as we rake our brains over things we can’t control:

“And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:7).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are terrorized by computers that break down and ruin our moods. Help us to refocus our frustrations and be like that senior lady who rose to the occasion and helped as best she could. I bet she was angel and how wonderful to behold!