Sandi Justad, CS

2011-11-26T23:37:00.001-06:00

Hey, I've just published a new Website.

Come have a look. Not only that, a nice new blog page is included. This will be the location of all future blog posts.

Readers who have followed me on blogspot will also enjoy the new blog

Join me at justadcs.com! See you soon.

How great is our love?

2011-11-05T12:51:00.000-06:00

Of course I don't judge people by their looks.

Of course you don't either!

This video shows an experiment revealing how many of us are intimated by appearances. Stay with the video to the end.

God told the prophet Samuel not to be impressed by appearances, because God looks into a person's heart. Jesus taught his followers to not be deceived by appearances.

I wonder if, in this experiment, I would have been able to look past appearances. I think so. I hope so.

(Don't be distracted by the discovery that a brewery promoted the experiment.)

Innovative Hallelujah from Quinhagak, Alaska

2011-11-03T20:56:00.003-06:00

Innovation
                      CreaTivity                     Spontaneity
        Fun
    Precision
   IncluSiveness.

Order

FamilY

Participation
Timing

Out of the boX!
Did we say fun yet?

Praising God should be happy. It should be spontaneous and inclusive. And so these fifth graders in Quinhagak, a fishing village of perhaps 560 people, did all of this and more.

They are celebrating their school, their village, their families, and life itself.

What a wonderful teacher stands modestly somewhere behind the scenes, who let the kids accomplish a project on such a scale of delight that the whole world smiles.

What your bumper stickers say about you

2011-10-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, our actions speak louder than our words. Occasionally our words confirm our behavior. This can be good, if our behavior is good; or not so good if we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we forget that life is not all about us.

Striving to be consistent with one's highest ideals takes effort. This facetious little reminder keeps making the email rounds.

Yellow -- prepare to stop?

The light turned yellow, just in front of him. The driver did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, cursed in frustration at missing her chance to get through the intersection. Not to mention her annoyance at having dropped her cell phone and her makeup.   As she was in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

  He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak. I saw the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. So, naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car." 

Instant response

2011-10-21T10:23:00.004-06:00

Here's an amazing video. Stacy Westfall is a horse trainer -- I'm not sure trainer is the politically correct word these days. What's the new word? Does anyone know?

You'll see her ride this horse without saddle or bridle. Figure eights, gallop, twirl, side pass, fast/slow. They move as one. She makes the calls, and he executes her wishes. Instantly.

Patience is the keyword. She achieved this kind of oneness with a horse after many months of working together.

In this clip you can see her feet giving some of the cues. And a lot of those cues are where and how she places her toes or her heels. The horse is pleased to do exactly what Stacy is asking.

So of course I had to ask myself, How quick am I to respond to the cues divine Love gives me throughout the day? How quick do I move with those nudges -- from a walk to a run and back to a walk again? How seamlessly
do I shift from walking straight forward to moving to the side or even stepping back? Do I trust every cue God gives?

Here's another thought. In the early days of this country, cowboys dominated the horses they caught. By force they tied and rode the bucking animals till they were exhausted and the cowboy had "won."

Monty Roberts pioneered the concept of giving horses credit for being intelligent. In 30 minutes he can ride a wild horse with saddle and bridle -- strange equipment to that animal. With no violence or stress to the horse. Today's horsemen and women are expanding his ideas, giving clinics and exhibitions where they also ride previously untrained horses. And those horses trust their people.

The old concept of God is, in fact, a bit like the wild west. God sets rules and punishes those who violate them. Old theology has people obeying God out of fear. Then Christ Jesus came along and presented a God of Love who credits His/Her creation with intelligence and an innate desire to get relationships right.

Patience is the key word. God's love is wonderfully patient as we discover that real satisfaction, purpose, and well-being are found when we're in sync, in perfect harmony, with infinite good.

I hope you enjoy watching this example of oneness and trust.

Your light can't be hidden.

2011-10-18T07:40:00.000-06:00

Another thoughtful email making the rounds. This one assumed only Christians are loved by God, so I took the liberty of editing so it says what I believe -- that everyone has the Christ light shining within them. And this creative process sounds so much like what a mom would do, doesn't it?

Being a child of God is like being a pumpkin.

She lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all off all the dirt.

She opens you up, touches you deep inside

and scoops out all the yucky stuff --

seeds of doubt, hate, greed, fear.

Then She carves you a new smiling face

and puts Her light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

Every pumpkin, every person, is unique in God's eyes

Hints from Nature

2011-10-16T19:37:00.002-06:00

Swans about to leave the shallows

Across the lake the swan family worked the shallows, Last spring six gray, fluffy babies had joined the proud parents. Lately I had seen only seven swans, so it was good to spot the whole group.

About 10 minutes later when I reached their area, the cob (papa), the pen (mama) and five of their nearly full-grown babies were busy eating plants from the bottom in a close-knit group. The sixth was also eating -- several yards away.

When the cob decided it was time to leave, he set out across the lake. Five youngsters and Mama obediently lined up single-file behind him. The sixth swan child ignored their departure. Eventually she swam into the lake a little bit, then settled into a cove with a couple of mallards far from her family who had selected distant shoreline.

At first I wondered if this was a rebellious youngster. But there is safety
in numbers in the wild, and a cygnet would instinctively know this. Had the family pushed her out for some reason? An ugly duckling among her own kind?

This unnatural isolation impelled me to pray that none of God’s creatures can be separated from Her all-embracing, unconditional love. Quickly a broader prayer emerged -- that none of God’s children anywhere can be excluded from Her love. The Shepherd parable reminds us that even one sheep out of a hundred, in God’s view, is worth finding and bringing home.

May that swan and all who feel alone know the comfort and inclusion of divine Love. May all feel valued and needed, and find their sense of family. God’s love is greater than rebellion or misunderstanding, neglect or hurt feelings. Divine Love is attractive and irresistible, warm and welcoming. There is no dysfunction in God's family where each of us is already established.

I love the Biblical reminder that God delights in us. All of us. Who She delights in, She cares for.

Expanding relationships

2011-10-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

“Love God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind,” Jesus said. He was quoting a demand from Hebrew scriptures which was ancient even then.

What occurred to me is that this describes half a relationship -- our half. Humanity’s relationship to God. It’s what we are supposed to do in this life. Align our whole being -- heart, soul, mind -- with the purpose of the Higher Power.

Who is this Higher Power? Supposing we agree with Jesus' life mission to reveal a God who is totally good? This means our having no will that isn’t good as God sees it. Praying for my team to win the football game, for instance,
would be selfish, and God doesn’t bless self-serving. Praying for solutions to world hunger? As I see it, that’s aligning ourselves with God’s intent to provide his entire creation with the necessities of life.

There’s another aspect to this frame of mind that defines what our relationship to God ought to be. If God is infinite good, then to love this infinite good with all our being means participating in our highest sense of good.

As we engage with goodness outside of ourselves, we cease to have relationships with the opposite of infinite good. We are less attracted by people, media, conversations that would pull us down; we recognize and change unproductive thinking; we make better decisions, find better companions. We discover fulfillment in helping others.

We don’t have to plumb this spiritual dimension to find a job, a home, the ability to pay our bills. But life can be richer as we expand our relationships, to think beyond our wants to others’ needs, and whether we might be able to help in some way.

Zack, in the following video, whether he intends it or not, is putting his love for God into action as he shares information with his neighbors.

The power of one good idea

2011-10-04T08:38:00.003-06:00

Humanity -- what an amazing resource of talents, skills, hopes, and achievements we are!

Unfortunately opportunity doesn't play out equally around the globe. Especially in third-world countries, women are expected to be the oxen, the toilers. But things are not hopeless.

I believe there is a universal Mind who cares about Her creation, who is infinite in resources and practical ideas for transforming lives. It does take people with vision and unselfish lives to bridge the gap.

This great little video shows how one creative idea can improve the lives of an entire village. Although it starts out on a gloomy note, stick with it to the joyous conclusion.

Church World Service (CWS) is one organization which finances life-changing projects.

Let there be light!

2011-09-19T19:43:00.000-06:00

Jesus announced that he was the light of the world. He was this at many levels.

He lived a life that threw healing light on the darkness of hopelessness and illness.

His light of truth-speaking exposed the hypocrisy of religious traditions in his day. Traditions which allowed, for instance, a donkey to be released from its stall on the sabbath for a drink of water, but condemned freeing a sick woman from a long-standing illness on the sabbath.

His light of insight into what life is really about, still blinds materialism with its encouragement to love your enemies, be honest, pure, fair, generous; not to judge.

Fast forward to contemporary culture with its poor still struggling to survive. A man shares a simple and brilliant (pun intended) solution to literally shine light into the homes of people who cannot afford electricity.

I think Jesus would be pleased.

To the unsung heroes of 9/11

2011-09-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

A post 9/11 tenth anniversary tribute to the heroes of the Manhattan Island boat lift.

There's something very spiritual about unity, when people come together of one mind, unselfishly, to help their fellows in need.

Enduring comedy

2011-09-14T19:56:00.007-06:00

Here's some real substance. We know there's something special when we find ourselves smiling at the joy, gentle good-humor, fellowship, skill and talent. How about timing and coordination?

This little video reminds us that these qualities are timeless.

Lightning McQueen in Africa?

2011-08-05T09:06:00.001-06:00

My grandson came for an overnight recently. He loves movies and brought two DVDs for us to watch. Kung Fu Panda, and Cars.

Despite my misgivings, these animations turned out to be well-told stories with good morals. When others see him initially only as a noodle cook, the humble panda clings to hope, works hard, and finally achieves self-worth.

Lightning McQueen (race car) learns the importance of being part of a team and of practical caring for others. Not bad life lessons.

Jump to the world scene. In Africa right now, millions are on the brink of starvation due to drought and political turmoil. Self-worth takes second place to survival. Practical caring is what the rest of the world can offer. Distribution of basic necessities can be a nightmare.

The Spirit of Christ, Allah, whoever you think of as the higher power, animates each of us to care for and help one another.

Here’s a tmcyouth link to some prayers being offered for those in great need. Feel free to add yours.

Story of hope in an unlikely place

2011-08-01T22:52:00.003-06:00

People who care. That's what it takes to make a difference.

In Zambia, at risk youth are being given an opportunity to move their lives forward. About 200 young people were asked to think about their future. They decided they'd like to go into business. So the youths were taught how to do a market assessment and how to select a business that would manageable and profitable.

They chose a banana plantation. This video shows their steps of hope.

Here's the link to the article in The Christian Science Monitor.

Shipwrecked

2011-07-28T20:32:00.000-06:00

This little story has been making recent email rounds. The moral is useful, especially for anyone going through hard times.

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but nothing changed.

Shipwreck

Over time he he built a little hut out of driftwood and palm fronds to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.   One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke curling up to the sky. Stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger, he cried out, "God! How could you let this happen?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship's horn! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" the survivor asked his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.  

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going badly, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even at our darkest moments. 

Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.   

Cheers for those angel messages!

2011-07-26T23:01:00.001-06:00

Our first hike in the Sierras a couple of weeks ago had to be aborted. The very name of our destination, Saucer Lake, just over the ridge, inspired my 11-year old grandson, my good friend, Margaret, and me with eagerness. The hike started well enough, over granite boulders, through manzanita bushes, across noisy rivulets of snowmelt.

It had been a late summer in the mountains, though. As recently as two weeks before our adventure, Echo lake still boasted ice. As we now ascended, bits of snowfields lurked over parts of the trail. At first we worked around them, picking up the switchback a few yards further on. The incline sharpened, the snowfields became broader and increasingly treacherous -- as in steep and slippery, with very hard boulders or worse, cliffs, at their bases.

A small snowfield -- fun and safe to slide down

I’d begun praying quite earnestly about safety probably half an hour before, when continuing the climb began to feel not right. It was a humble prayer, just asking God to place each step so that She would be praised by this activity. Neither did it feel right for Grandma (me) to be the one to say we needed to turn back. So each time I was tempted, I prayed the more earnestly.

Finally, about 2/3 of the way up, we reached the largest snowfield yet. We could not see where to pick up the trail on either the right or the left of it.
While my grandson scampered here and there, looking for a way to continue, Margaret and I paused to consider our next move,.

Diplomatically Margaret, the experienced hiker among us, announced, “I know you were really looking forward to seeing Saucer Lake today. But we were not counting on all this snow up here. It’s becoming very treacherous, in addition to which the snow is completely hiding the trail, and we need to turn around and go down.”

This was the day my grandson learned to deal with great disappointment.

At first his response indicated he felt he was a victim of hiking with two old ladies who weren’t equal to a perfectly fine adventure. To his credit, he reconciled himself to his situation within about half an hour. And each day after, with the perspective of other “good” hikes behind him, he began to appreciate the wisdom of that first, unwelcome decision.

Waterfall - great fun hiking up and down

For my part, I was totally filled with gratitude. At the right time, the angel message spoke to Margaret. And very dear Margaret had been willing to deliver the bad news. This hike/climb was no longer the right thing to be doing. Somebody once said, “The right thing at the wrong time, is no longer the right thing.”

Happily the descent, which should have been at least as wicked as the up-hike, was easy by comparison. I have no explanation for that, except that our dear Father-Mother continued to place our feet safely and securely. Maybe overwhelming gratitude helped reveal a clearer path too.

Honor those angel messages. They always have your best interest at heart. And they are precise in their timing.

The steps of a good man (woman, child) are ordered by the Lord: and S/He delights in his way. Ps 37:23

Boots too small?

2011-07-25T15:55:00.006-06:00

King of the snow cave (carved by a rivulet, between his feet)

What I'd like to draw your attention to here is not the snow cave, although standing triumphantly on its thin arched roof was the purpose of the photo. Rather the boots.

Wonderful, comfortable, hiking boots

It's the boots that will be outgrown by next summer.

I was thinking today how with kids it's easy to know what no longer fits. Wrists hang out of sleeves, pant cuffs creep upward, the shoes are too tight, and it's obvious.

Somewhere into adulthood we we start accumulating clothes that used to be passed along to friends, relatives, or the local thrift store. Closets gradually begin to bulge, not so subtly demanding a sorting.

It isn't all that different with our thinking. As kids grow and learn, they discard outgrown thinking -- tooth fairies and monsters under the bed, and cute
but mispronounced words, like hangabur for hamburger.

As adults, we tend to cling to outgrown thinking -- petty or not-so-petty hurts, resentments, misunderstandings. Or, on the other side, remorse over opportunities lost or words spoken in haste. Our mental closets eventually bulge with these accumulated, and negative, emotions.

How to get rid of them? Happily, as we honor our relationship to our Creator, and everyone else's relationship to that same Creator, we realize that only what God gives us has any truth. And God gives us only good. We can accept and live goodness from God, and mentally discard what isn't worth keeping.

Second, as we ask God to use us for Her good purpose, we can cancel remorse with an apology where appropriate, a willingness to forgive others as we wish to be forgiven, and a commitment to do good under divine Love's direction.

Just as boots that are too small pinch our feet, so emotional memories that are too small pinch our spiritual growing. It is very natural to discard the old, as God shows us more of the beauty of our spiritual nature. These custom-made garments of spiritual qualities expressed, fit us perfectly.

Music to the eyes

2011-07-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

I don't know how this works, but perhaps you will agree that it is beautiful. As one person put it, "Music to the eyes."

Herding Cats?

2011-07-07T15:52:00.000-06:00

Nope. Not herding cats. Training them. Or rather, finding out what they like to do, and then rewarding them for it.

I grew up with dogs and cats together. I can think of three different pairs. They would snuggle together in a sunny spot on the floor on a winter's day. Or cuddle together on the couch. Yes, we did allow our adopted greyhound on the couch.

The most fun was watching these creatures wrestle -- the dog being careful not to overwhelm the cat; and the cat being careful to keep her claws sheathed. Over and over, round and round they'd go.

Cats who perform is a whole different circus. Yet here's a guy who has figured it out. Hope you enjoy their entertainment.

Meet the Mayor of Mississauga

2011-07-02T09:59:00.000-06:00

My neighbor was complaining the other day of her curtailed activities now that she "is up in years." She didn't want to hear another perspective, at least not at that time.

Seniors have lots of jokes about aging, and all of them accept the premise that aging includes limits, vulnerability, and diminishing faculties. So the jokes are an effort to make the best of a bad situation.

There used to be an upbeat TV show called, "Life begins at 80." Week after week the host interviewed lively, busy octogenarians. These folks did not placidly accept restrictions on their abilities and capacities to do good. Most of them led active and interesting lives.

Here, from Canada, is a contemporary role model. It's so refreshing to meet someone whose life quietly challenges these negative assumptions.

Principle as Love?

2011-06-21T08:15:00.002-06:00

Have you ever thought of Principle as Love? Yes, and harmony too!

This has been a difficult concept for me to wrap my head around. Principle is strong, tough, laws and rules, isn't it? How can it also be Love?

Well, here's what I've been thinking about. The red light, when people pay attention, keeps crashes from happening. It allows an orderly flow of traffic to go forward. There's a sense of justice, or fairness, because everyone gets their turn. A red light may be no-nonsense, but it is also an expression of Love keeping everyone safe.

Red keeps right ideas where they belong. No colliding!

Yellow gives a heads-up on change coming

A yellow light warns drivers that their plans are
about to be changed,and they need to make adjustments for that change. What doesn't change is the constancy of God's love being right here with us, no matter what.


Green signals uninterrupted progress

It seems all drivers rejoice in a green light. It signals an uninterrupted segment of our journey. It announces that it's safe and orderly, for the moment, to go forward towards our intended destination.

God's laws are a bit like the traffic lights, insofar as the lights represent safe and orderly progress. Yet God's laws, I'm finding, are not optional. Whereas a driver may run through a red light, in mankind's relation to divine law, we cannot disobey God's intelligent and good purpose for us and make progress. When God says stop, it's important to pay attention. There is good reason, whether we can see it or not.

When our intuition tells us to slow down or proceed with caution, it's well to do exactly that, whether or not we understand the reason.

And when we're sailing along, let's remember to be grateful for all the signs of the love and care of this higher power in our lives.

The heart of song - Bobby McFerrin

2011-06-19T14:24:00.014-06:00

Krista Tippet does her homework before interviewing incredible people. This morning her guest was Bobby McFerrin.

Bobby grew up in an Episcopal church in LA. He loved singing in the children's choir. His dad was an opera singer, and his mom sang all the time. He grew up with singing in the home.

Here are three great YouTubes of his work. There are times, he says, when he goes onstage feeling horrible, bad headache or tense because he's just had an argument with one of his children. Within a minute of being with the audience, he's happy. By the end of 90 minutes he's usually 80% healed. To me this says something about his love for what he is doing, his love for music, his love for people, and the healing effect of acting on this love.

He tries to release in his audiences the improvisation and spontaneity they knew as children. He taps into a deep spirituality innate, it seems, in all mankind. (Scroll to the interview link at the bottom.)

He says of the Pentatonic Scale, "Regardless of where I am, anywhere (in the whole world), every audience gets that!" You have to see it, to appreciate "getting it."

How do you draw thousands of strangers into singing "Ave Maria" together, beautifully, the first time?

For the 23rd Psalm, Bobby had been thinking about the heavy patriarchal element in the church and wanted to write something about the feminine side of God. He dedicated this to his mother.

Note how in the final added verse which, in a traditional chant would be "Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost," he is consistent in maintaining the feminine.

The text:
The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need.
She makes me lie down in green meadows;
Beside the still waters She will lead.

She restores my soul; She rights my wrongs.
She leads me in a path of good things
and fills my heart with songs.

Even though I walk through a dark and dreary land,
there is nothing that can shake me,
She has said She won't forsake me --
I'm in her hand.

She sets a table before me in the presence of my foes.
She anoints my head with oil
and my cup overflows.

Surely, surely goodness and kindness will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in Her house forever,
forever and ever.

Glory be to our Mother and Daughter
and to the Holy of Holies
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be
World without end. Amen.

You can listen now to Krista Tippet's interview with Bobby McFerrin, “Catching song.”

What Is A Dad?

2011-06-16T22:15:00.001-06:00

Every boy has a dad - somewhere.

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...
- Unknown

May our Father in heaven embrace all His children on earth in those tender arms of His love -- boys and girls, dads and moms, grandpas and grandmas, and especially those who think they have no children.

Revisiting one of the best dads

2011-06-16T08:39:00.000-06:00

Revisiting and honoring one of the best dads I've known.
First published August 28, 2007.
He was fond of saying, "My cup is running over (with goodness), and I'm drinking from the saucer!

Dan with great granddaughter

My father-in-law passed peacefully away this morning. He’d lived a good and long life, survived two wonderful wives, is cherished by a third. He has three wonderful grown kids, grand-children and great grand-children. Dan was just going, as he phrased it a couple of days ago, “to walk into the next room.”

I’ve known Dan for forty years. He is one of the most consistently happy people I’ve ever met. The world doesn’t know what to do with happy people. It works hard to make them sad. He never took the bait. He kept his joy. Sometimes it took a bit of wrestling on his part to stay aligned with the good he believed was supreme in life, but he always rose to the occasion, and quickly.

He enjoyed a good joke. He was a careful and interesting story-teller. With a twinkle in his eye, he would relate an appropriate pun for the occasion, and chuckle at the groans from his audience. He loved people. He devoted the last 40 years to helping others find health, balance, stability, joy, peace – helping them feel the power of God’s love in their lives.

And, this is the big one – I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He lived Christ Jesus’ life message: to love one another.

He made the best of what life gave him, and he always felt life was giving him abundant good. He cherished family and friends alike.

With his perpetual joy, undaunted trust in the triumph of good, and genuine love for all God’s children, he set a great example of what it means to unconditionally love one’s fellow man.

He will definitely “Be in that number, when the saints go marching in”!

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

If you would like to add a tribute to Dan, please do!

If this post has meant something to you, you might want to click on Comments below, and read those too.

Also see "Tribute" post in Kim's blog.

A smile

2011-06-14T12:31:00.000-06:00

A smile is the lighting system of the face,
the cooling system of the head
and the heating system of the heart.

Unknown

Has a smile ever made a difference in your life? Your smile may have been the joy that lit up someone else's day during a dark moment. Never underestimate the power of a simple smile.

A smile says to the other person, "You're worthwhile. You are special. You are worthy of my recognition."

Nature smiles on us through her flowers and her pristine lakes. She sings to us through the birds and breezes.

Native Americans "caught some glimpses of the underlying reality, when they called a certain beautiful lake "the smile of the Great Spirit."

Mary Baker Eddy

"Bring me Sunshine!"

2011-06-10T14:28:00.001-06:00

Have you ever found yourself avoiding some people because of their attitudes? Negativity, cynicism, critical conversation can drag us down.

Ever thought about the news in that context? Is it any wonder that the advertisers of evening news programs are often drug companies promoting cures for the symptoms of various ills?

More than one person has asked, "Who wouldn't feel sick after watching this litany of bad news?"

And is it any wonder that some news programs have realized a steady diet of negativity needs some balance. Often they shine a ray of light in that direction by presenting a human interest story that embodies the values we all want to hear more about.

You don't have to join the crowd of heaviness. God has given every one of us the ability to appreciate and value the beauty and good all around. And to help others do the same. Each of us can be a doer.

Here's a whimsical approach to the ability of one person to make a difference.

What is this place?

2011-05-28T22:43:00.002-06:00

This email has been making the rounds. It poses some interesting questions. Is heaven a place with gold streets and pearly gates? What would heaven look like to you?

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.  He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.  

After a while, they came to a high, stunning stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.  Standing before the arch, he saw a magnificent gate that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 

Best buddies

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. '

Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up. 'The man gestured, and the gate began to open.  'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked. 

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' 

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and he and the dog continued on their way. 

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.  As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.  'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'  

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog. 

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'  They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.  When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree..  'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked. 

'This is Heaven,' he answered.  

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that place was Heaven.' 

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'  

Questions God won't ask

2011-05-26T09:48:00.000-06:00

This is making the email rounds. Some worthwhile thoughts here.

God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people you helped get where they needed to go.   

God won't ask the square footage of your house, but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

  God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.   

God won't ask how many friends you had, but He'll ask how many people you befriended.   

God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

  God won't ask about the color of your skin, but He'll ask about the content of your character.

She won’t ask whether you won or lost, but how you played the game of life. 

The Carpenter

2011-05-25T07:48:00.001-06:00

This email is making the rounds. A message worth sharing.

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.  Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding, grew into a major difference and, finally, exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I 'm looking for a few days' work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?"  

"Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor. In fact, it's my younger brother! Last week there was a meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn?
I want you to build me a fence an 8-foot fence -- so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."   

The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."  

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day -- measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.

The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all.

There was a bridge. A bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched.

A bridge can be as simple as being the first to forgive

"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done."

The two brothers stood met in middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder.

"No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.  

"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."

Can you love without an object?

2011-05-24T20:08:00.002-06:00

There is a difference, you know. Between "unselfish" and "unselfed."

Until recently, I’d pretty much considered those two terms synonymous.

If you think about it, unselfish love can be ego-tinged. “I am unselfishly giving up my day off to help my neighbor.” “I am unselfishly doing this or that good deed.”

Unselfed love is love without self. It is divine Love expressing itself.

Unselfed love is having no will of my own, but always, ‘Thy will be done.” Always, "What can I do next for you and your children, dear Father-Mother?”

Mother love is unselfish, and this mom has several fuzzy
"objects" for her love!

Here are some observations from Mary Baker Eddy, 19th Century religious thinker and healer.

Unselfed love doesn’t take offense.
Unselfed love lives the might of goodness for all mankind.
It builds in our hearts a temple to worship God
Rejoices in the good of others
It keeps us in the Christian life

Most amazingly, unselfed love doesn’t require an object. It just loves. As the sun just shines, genuine Love just loves.

A morning sacrifice

2011-05-16T09:01:00.000-06:00

Sky after a baseball game

Ps 5:3 “In the morning you hear my voice, O Lord. I prepare a prayer, a sacrifice, for You, and watch and wait for You to speak to my heart.” (Amplified Bible)

The sacrifice I’ve prepared today is self-will -- in the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer which strongly suggests, “Thy will be done.”

Trusting that God, divine Love, is good, all-knowing and everywhere present, I am happy to step aside and let the Love that is spiritual govern every detail of this day. And to listen in my heart to know where and how I fit into Love’s wonderful plan.

Is resistance futile?

2011-05-09T22:58:00.003-06:00

Who remembers "Star Trek, the Next Generation"? Do you remember when Captain Picard was captured by the Borg? He resisted being assimilated in every way he could, but the Borg drummed into him that "Resistance is futile." No one escaped the Borg. At each thwarted escape attempt, things looked increasingly hopeless for our hero.

That episode was the cliff-hanger for the end of the season. The next fall, there was Picard, escaping the Borg, returning safely to his faithful crew. So resistance had not been futile.

I appreciated the spirit of TNG, as the series was affectionately called. Evil doesn't have the last word, even when it insists otherwise. Good will somehow prevail.

My faith tradition, Christian Science, teaches that evil has no authority in the presence of ever-present good. Even when evil insists otherwise, the Creator of the universe is supreme, is in charge. As we learn to align our choices and our lives with Her good purpose, we see more often the success of universal good over evil.

It is important to resist evil. Acquiescence is approval. Left to itself, whatever isn't from God's goodness presumptuously suggests itself as powerful as good and as legitimate. And gets away with this fraud if no one interferes.

Jesus interfered big time -- sickness, sin, lunacy, death, not enough food, killer storms. He resisted and overcame every one of these "natural" evils with divine authority which, he said, came to him from God.

So is this a comparison between Captain Picard and Jesus? Well, no. But both had the courage to resist what they believed was not right. Picard's courage was moral; Jesus' was spiritual.

Meanwhile, some nostalgic Star Trek fan put a smile on my face with this church sign.

Mother's Day rap

2011-05-08T17:42:00.001-06:00

Mothering. While honoring our moms is important, dads do, or should do, a lot of mothering too. Nurturing, supporting, encouraging, cheering. There are no gender qualifications for doing the things normally associated with a mom. The whole world needs our mothering. Everybody qualifies for this opportunity.

Having said that, here is a thoughtful rap from Mr. T. (which dates to the 1980s TV and movie era) honoring his own mom. He grew up in a family of 12 children in the Chicago housing projects. He credits his success to his mother's love undergirding his own desire to do well. He understands the significance of a mom's role in a child's life.

For kids all over, I pray for God's mothering to protect, comfort, guide, and uplift every right desire, and to refine and lead those desires into fulfillment.

Museum or Hospital? or something else?

2011-05-06T19:44:00.001-06:00

What is Church for anyway? Who meets the standards to join my church? Is it better if they dress, think, and speak just like me? What if they smoke, and my church frowns on smoking? What if somebody walks through the door who is homeless?

What if they bring kids who are noisy and run up and down the aisles?

How genuine is my welcome to the smoker? the homeless? the kid who shatters the quiet of the sanctuary?

If Church is designed to elevate the race, how can we make the "race" feel more welcome?

What's your role?

2011-05-04T00:07:00.000-06:00

We aren't always chosen for the spotlight, for the important part, for those much touted 15 minutes of fame. That's OK. There are other roles, perhaps lower key and perhaps more important.

This story has been making the email rounds lately and deserves a wider audience.

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what, Mom," he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me...."I've been chosen to clap and cheer!"

There are many ways to clap and cheer for one another.

Has justice been served?

2011-05-03T10:23:00.001-06:00

So Bin Laden is gone. America, and perhaps others, celebrates. He was a symbol of unseen hate, a kind of hidden volcano that could erupt any time, anywhere, causing destruction, loss and grief. That particular symbol is gone. Yet, until we find how to make peace work, others will replace him.

So what is the Christian demand? As difficult as it may seem, it's individual forgiveness. Not forgiving the hate or the destruction of innocents, but forgiving my own belief that there is something other than the man that God conceived, created, and loved.

Thanks to Facebook friends for their thoughtful reminders, gathered below.

"Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness.And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness, any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself." — Corrie Ten Boom

Each day I pray:  "God bless my enemies;  make them Thy friends; give them to know the joy  and the peace of love." - Mary Baker Eddy

“Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,  and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble.” - Proverbs

"I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear."  — Martin Luther King Jr.

"If we have no peace,  it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."  — Mother Teresa

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy."  - Anonymous  

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

And here is another idea for practical prayer shared by Christian Science lecturer, Dave Stevens.

"It don't cost nothin' to be nice"

2011-04-28T21:22:00.001-06:00

This email is making the rounds. Somehow the Golden Rule -- treating others the way you'd like to be treated -- has a way of enriching the lives of those who participate.

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story:  I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was havin' trouble finding the place. Getting hungry I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant."

I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I'm the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, "What do you need?" I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, "You probably won't like it here, today we're having chitlins, collared greens and black eyed peas with cornbread. I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins (small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the deep South) are, do you?"

I looked him square in the eye and said, "I'm from Arkansas , I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place." They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, "You ain't from around here then?"

I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was and he says, yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good. And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I'm paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay.

The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one.

I met the kid I was lookin' for later that afternoon and I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought.

When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, "Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had."

Now let's go a whole buncha years down the road Now we have black players at Alabama and I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed Y'all remember, (and I forget the name, but it's not important to the story), well anyway, he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I'm down there.

Two days later, I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it's this kid who just turned me down, and he says, "Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?" And I said, "Yes I sure do." And he says OK, he'll come. And I say, "Well son, what changed your mind?" And he said, "When my grandpa found out I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met."

Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, "You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama, and you sent him a picture that he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him."

Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

Resurrection dance - in Budapest, Hungary

2011-04-22T16:35:00.002-06:00

Dancing the resurrection in Budapest - a vibrant and moving celebration! Click here.

I'm not sure this fits the definition of flash mob. We don't know from the video whether they assembled suddenly. But these folks are a joyous, choreographed mob of all ages, however they appeared.

Especially poignant when you realize this couldn't have happened under communism.

To my way of thinking, they have it right -- "Let's celebrate eternal life!"

Doing the right thing

2011-04-21T22:57:00.002-06:00

Something special happened in April. It was a conference championship game. Sara hit her first ever home run! The ball flew over the fence. And then her knee gave out at first base.

The rules said her teammates could not touch her. What to do? Click here to see the heartwarming unexpected.

In Your presence

2011-04-19T23:23:00.001-06:00

"In Your presence is fullness of joy!" The Psalmist has discovered a close relationship to God is a very happy state.

It depends on your concept of God, of course. If we accept Jesus' God of Love and goodness, that presence give peace as well as vibrancy and joy.

I discovered that this evening when my grandsons were wound up after dinner. They were laughing and rough-housing in the living room while I cleaned up in the kitchen. I sighed. This could go on for hours -- if past experience set any precedence.

On the other hand, I pray before I come to spend after-school time with these boys. Today my prayers were to see more of everyone's Christly nature, that harmony and cooperation that is so natural to all of us.

Two amazing things happened. The first was that after school they both got right to their homework without the usual moaning and groaning.

The second was that suddenly, in the middle of the after-dinner rough-housing, there was silence. The younger boy sat down at the computer and engaged himself in a football game. The older boy, with a reading assignment, sat down on the couch with his book. I had brought some paperwork and marveled, as one hour passed another, at the deep peacefulness of the evening.

Every now and then there was a rustle from the living room. Finally I peaked around the corner and couldn't help smiling!

It's a good idea while reading to change your position from time to time.

Lives corrected - is rehabilitation possible?

2011-04-16T18:07:00.001-06:00

Is rehabilitation possible? I believe so.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing several inspiring friends whose lives have been transformed. Their commitment to Christ is humbling. Among them, an unwed mom who gave up her newborn for adoption decades ago; they celebrated a mutually joyous reunion when he, in his thirties, sought to find her. By that time her life had taken on a commitment to marriage and family, and she radiated a wise and tender spirituality.


Tucson sunset - as beautiful as a life corrected?

A newer friend spent 7 years on death row for a crime she didn’t commit. Since her release she has devoted her hours and days tirelessly to helping women and children in her Englewood community rebuild their lives.

My newest friend did prison time too, for drug and alcohol abuse. Her reaching out to God came during a period of escape, when God told her to turn herself in so he could use her without her having to worry about getting caught. Her total commitment to God came, back in prison, as she finished her sentence. She asked God, “How am I going to keep my sanity for the next 18 months?” He said, “Write me a letter every day.”

And she did (write daily letters - of gratitude mostly, and some petitions). And she did (keep her sanity). As a side note, she credits her love for Jesus for the fact that she suffered no withdrawal symptoms from the drug and alcohol abuse. Since her release she's been co-pastor of a church that is dedicated to meeting the needs of a poor Chicago community.

Just as a glorious sunrise promises a fresh and brilliant day, so the bright colors of a declining sun close a day with gratitude.

Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science) writes this thoughtful definition, “A radiant sunset, beautiful as blessings when they take their flight, dilates and kindles into rest. Thus will a life corrected illumine its own atmosphere with spiritual glow and understanding.”

The sun as a metaphor

2011-04-15T08:31:00.002-06:00

Tucson sunrise

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a glorious sunrise in Arizona.

Mary Baker Eddy writes of the sun as a metaphor for God. "If we say that the sun stands for God, then all his rays collectively stand for Christ, and each separate ray for men and women."

I like to think about our shining out from God, like rays from the sun. One ray doesn't interfere with another. Each has its own assignment. Yet each is important to lighting the whole day. If the rays could be turned off, one by one, there would be almost imperceptible, but increasingly less light, till there was no light. It would be a sad sun that had no rays.

Each of us is unique, important to God's good purpose for today. Each of us has an assignment only we can fulfill. None of us can interfere with anyone else's shining. God, as infinite light, shines through us. What we do with our moments and our lives makes God known. We are Her shining.

And She, in turn, shines Her approval on us.

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us." (Ps. 67:1)

The climb and the ant

2011-04-14T13:17:00.001-06:00

This story came in a recent email. The moral is a useful one. We don't always understand the path before us. But if what we're doing is an answer to a prayer to be of service, we can trust God to adjust our course to Her good purpose, and go about Her work cheerfully.

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.' She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

  She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she might find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'

  She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'   

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'   Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption below.  

Hurry home

2011-04-10T20:39:00.000-06:00

The Prodigal Son, one of the most loved parables told by Jesus, is a classic. Who cannot relate?

In Jesus' story, a kid takes off prematurely with his inheritance, wastes it all, finds himself homeless and without friends. He realizes that his father's servants are better off than he is. Swallowing his pride he decides to go back home and ask his dad for a job as a servant.

The old man has been anxiously watching the road for months, hoping the boy would eventually return. When he does, the father instantly forgives the son's foolishness, and reinstates him as a valued family member.

The father (in the parable the father would be The Father, God, infinite good) doesn't judge, he just loves. That's the nature of true fatherhood.

Here is Jason Michael Carroll's modern version.

Energy from splitting water?

2011-03-26T20:23:00.000-06:00

Life gets exciting in the realm of ideas, because there anything is possible. Pure ideas that have promise to elevate humanity, come straight from divine Mind.

Who knows which of these innovative, bright new projects might replace dependence on oil as fuel. But there are a lot of creative thinkers experimenting in various areas. A lot of people thinking outside the box looking for practical solutions.

I believe good ideas will continue to incubate and hatch, as they are given a warm and welcoming environment. Here's one based on photosynthesis - the process by which plants turn sunlight into sugar. Too simple. The goal is to get enough energy from a bottle and a half of water to power a small house.

Link to the article.

What's the point?

2011-03-20T12:21:00.001-06:00

OK. Why are we here, anyway? What’s the point?

What if the point is to affirm life?

What if the point is to tell one another, “I’m so glad you are here, because your life makes a difference to me!”

What if the point is to give joy wherever you can?

What if the point is to challenge apathy and indifference with purpose?

These five gentlemen of advancing years discover something of their purpose by vigorously challenging, together, the limitations of aging. What a courageous first step.

This life-affirming video is captioned, for those of us who don’t read Chinese!

Gratitude - just a healthy emotion?

2011-03-19T15:02:00.003-06:00

The video clip below features a popular motivational speaker.

Although he doesn't say so till nearly the end, his topic is gratitude. He identifies gratitude as the most healthy human emotion.

Gratitude is certainly important. And, if we allow God into the conversation, even as central to the conversation, we discover that the reason gratitude is so important is that it identifies specific good. Identifying specific good is important, because all that is truly good in our lives originates in God, for God is wholly good. Whatever isn't good, doesn't come from God.

Thought open to good has the effect of seeing good multiply.

For me gratitude includes thanking the Creator for Her generous goodness. Even in the middle of a crisis, it's possible to discover the activity of good.

The people of Japan, for instance, are still battling unforeseen and enormous odds. But let that not overshadow the importance of the calm discipline of its own people, the skill of their own experts, the practical help flying in from all over the world.

For normal events that are not on the scale of global crises, gratitude can play an active and transforming roll at a very local level. This motivational clip speaks to that kind of every day living. Even though the speaker doesn't mention the word God, that doesn't keep anyone from thanking Her with a loving life.

Super moon

2011-03-18T20:18:00.001-06:00

Things are not always what they appear to be.

Obvious illusions include parallel railroad tracks that appear to join in the distance, water dancing on a hot concrete highway that is dry; or other clever illusions that people create, like this flower.

Which center is larger?

Although the center on the left appears to be larger, they are both the same size. It's the size of the circles around the center that fools our eyes.

Here's an illusion that nature creates about every 18 years, and it's rather beautiful! Enjoy the super moon, but don't be deceived by illusions when it comes to making decisions. Find out what's real, and base your conclusions on reality.

Great NASA flick.

New movie: Fambul Tok (Family Talk)

2011-03-12T22:26:00.005-06:00

Good news tends to get buried. It has trouble competing with head-line grabbers promoting the bizarre and frightening.

Fambul Tok is good news worth sharing. It's the story of forgiveness and reconciliation quietly bringing Sierra Leone together after the horrors of a wretched civil war.

In Africa, before the colonial powers arrived, the people in a village would get together in the evening to discuss the events of the day, and to solve any problems that had arisen. It was fambul tok, or family talk.

The first video is a trailer for the movie. The second explains the concept of fambul tok, and the hopes for healing.

It's a logic of restoration -- helping perpetrators become useful community members again, rather than imprisonment. See what you think.

Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself.

~Harriet Nelson

Surprise spiritual buddies

2011-03-11T19:46:00.001-06:00

I pray to know when to be at my desk, when to run errands, when to take a walk. And where. This afternoon’s trail was a paved path past scenic spillways designed to help cleanse the adjacent shipping canal. Several such aeration parks along the canal are achieving their goals. But that’s another story.

New walking buddy

Hearing footsteps, I turned to see a cheery woman matching my pace. We introduced ourselves. We connected very quickly, and Janet (not her real name) shared her story.

A recovering alcoholic, Janet is active in AA, and wants a career helping others find their freedom from addiction. She came from a long line of alcoholics. At fourteen she dropped out of school, self-taught herself after that, and worked at a good job until alcoholism took over.

“For an addict,” she says, “It’s all about me. What I want, when I want it.” She had to learn patience, and she had to find God.

When she was at rock bottom, Janet decided to pray. Her prayer, she chuckles, was more of an ultimatum, because she didn’t know if there even was a God. “OK, God,” she said. “I’ll try AA for three months. I’ll do everything they want. If that doesn’t work, I’m gone.” AA connected her with a sponsor, and she made another pact with God. “OK, God,” she said. “I’ll give this relationship six months. If it doesn’t work, I’m gone.”

During this period she socialized with new friends and discovered she actually had fun being sober. She realized she was a worthwhile person, that people liked her for who she was. That there really is life after addiction. And it’s genuine.

Her 20-year old son, also a recovering alcoholic, began attending AA. He enrolled at the community college where he lives. Janet enrolled at her Community College. This woman, who doubted she had the intelligence to succeed, maintains a straight A average. Now Janet knows she has a purpose.

She was delighted to learn that I am into spiritual healing. I explained briefly that I help people through prayer to discover their oneness with a loving God.

“How exciting is that! I just love God so much!" she said. I can see why! We hope to walk together again.

I thank God for enriching my life with surprise spiritual buddies.

What can we trust?

2011-03-09T22:59:00.000-06:00

Jesus said, "This is why you get sick and die: Because you love what deceives you. Anyone who thinks should consider these matters." The Gospel of Mary, by Karen L. King

Sounds like if we trust what deceives us, we're headed for trouble. We see that plot in novels and movies all the time -- a person with good intentions trusts someone with not so good intentions, and the story develops from there.

So what do you trust? What have you found to lean on that won't deceive you?

Tough love and angels

2011-03-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

Boys sledding on President's Day

Thursday was my day for Grandma duty. As he got out of school, the 12-year old called me at his house where I was fixing dinner.

“Grandma, can I hang out with Parker?”

“What does ‘hang out’ mean?”

“You know, just hang out.”

“I need to know where you will be. ‘Just hang out’ isn’t good enough. Invite Parker here.”

Silence. Finally, “All right. I’ll come home.”

Three minutes later another phone call. “Grandma, can I go to Parker’s house?”

“Is Parker’s mom there?”

“No, but his brother is.”

“I need an adult I can talk to there. Invite Parker to come home with you.”

Silence. Finally, “All right, I’ll come home.”

He came home shortly. “I have no friends,” he informed me accusingly. “All the other boys are going over to Parker’s.” He was not in a mood to listen to anything, so I was quiet.

His younger brother was shooting hoops in the driveway with some buddies. Today hoops didn’t appeal. Picking up a baseball and a mitt, he asked, “Can I go across the street to the park?”

“Sure.” He crossed the street and I watched out a window as he slammed the ball into the soft earth at his feet, repeatedly. Clearly some prayer was needed. Turning away, I reached out to our dear Father-Mother. “What do you know about this boy right now?” The answer that came was, “He has his own angels.”

Of course! I didn’t have to sort all this out. God was already being God, already communicating to every one of Her children. Telling each one of their worth, their purpose, showing Her love in tangible ways. I prayed for some minutes until I could rest in the assurance of the angels, God’s very own thoughts, doing their communicating.

My grandson walked in the door just as dinner was ready. “I found someone to play with,” he said in a pleased tone. “He was a third grader, but that was OK.” He stopped short of saying he'd had fun.

“Oh thank you, dear Mother-Father God!” quietly and to myself.

There’s more. The other grandma, who was with the boys the following day, and was aware of Thursday's events, added this.

“After school I asked him if he wanted to invite Parker over. He said, ‘Parker’s grounded. He had all these boys over yesterday, and he wasn’t supposed to.’ “

Sweet! Apparently Parker and his parents have their angels as well.

Diversities of gifts

2011-03-02T22:45:00.003-06:00

Have you ever felt you weren't quite getting it? Maybe everybody else around you is in sync, and that makes it worse.

It's all right. Each of us is unique. God has given each of us has different talents. Not everyone is meant to be a teacher or an auto mechanic or an accountant or a baker. We are each meant to find what we're good at doing, and to delight in doing it well.

I'm sure this little girl will get her talents figured out too. I love the kindness of her teacher. "It's OK," she says, "if you shoes aren't doing it (the first position in ballet class)."

"There is a variety of gifts, but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them."

(I Corinthians 12:4-6. Jerusalem Bible)

Scout traditions

2011-03-01T00:12:00.000-06:00

Our Webelos Cub Scout became a Boy Scout yesterday. Each advancing Cub listened to good character-building advice in the Arrow of Light ceremony preceding the crossover. Seven qualities were highlighted:

Wisdom 
Courage 
Self-control
 Justice
 Faith 
Hope
 Love

A thoughtful explanation followed each quality For example, Self-control. “Self-control isn’t limited to the control of one’s temper, but control of one’s self in all things - emotional, mental, and physical.”

Finally, behind each of the dozen Cubs stood a welcoming Boy Scout. Each older Scout took a new red and black neckerchief and arranged it around the neck of the Scout he was welcoming.

New Boy Scouts get their new neckerchiefs

Afterward families enjoyed a lovely catered banquet. But the former Cubs disappeared as they went off to eat with their buddies. The older Boy Scouts ate with their buddies. So the parents ate together, discovering (together) another stage of letting go.

Having a "yes" face

2011-02-25T23:46:00.001-06:00

This came into my in-box the other day. There was no source indicated, so it's hard to know whether it's true. But the moral makes it worth repeating. Here's the story:

During his term as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback.

They came to a river that had overflowed its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had already washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback fighting against the swirling currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not a part of their group to step aside and watch.

After several had plunged in and with much difficulty, barely made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed up behind Jefferson, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the opposite shore. After the stranger slid to the ground, one in the group asked him, “Tell me, why did you select the President to take you across?”

The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the President who had helped him. He responded simply, “All I know is that on some of their faces was written the word 'No,' and on some of them 'Yes.' His was a 'YES' face."

So what does a "yes" face look like? Perhaps it's kind, caring. Perhaps it isn't all wrapped up in itself. Maybe the body language of a "yes" face says, "How can I help you?"

Another approach might be that a "yes" face is one that says Yes to God's goodness; yes to Her presence; yes to Her comfort; yes to Her caring.

I'm looking forward to identifying what and who I'm saying "yes" to today!

Stand by me - worldwide

2011-02-24T11:16:00.001-06:00

This video has been making the rounds again. A clever sound engineer shares his vision and message for unity for the human race.

"Stand by me" reminds us that we are not alone, that no man is an island. That mankind can stand together and go forward shoulder to shoulder.

"Stand by me" holds even more promise. It can also serve as a reminder that God, Truth, that higher power, does stand by us. He/She made us, loves us, delights in us -- and stands behind the quality of His/Her creation.

She (my favorite sense of Creator) intends for us to discover our own humanity and get it right.

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Where God shines through

2011-02-22T01:21:00.000-06:00

Decades ago, a friend taught me this little poem. It's a gentle reminder of purpose; how to get self out of the way; how to go forward when we're not sure. Letting God shine his love through us is always progress.

I am the place where God shines through,

For He and I are one, not two.

I need not fret, or fear, nor plan.

He wants me where and as I am.

And if I'll be relaxed and free,

He will express Himself through me.


This little girl wasn't expecting any Christmas gifts.

A story of healing

2011-02-18T23:39:00.006-06:00

I'm learning that you can't outline how healing comes to people. Here's one man's unique story.

It was a cool, drab February morning, just warm enough for the snow to begin melting. As I walked the indoor track at the Park District field house, a smiling man dropped his jacket on the bleachers. We introduced ourselves by first names and shook hands, and headed off on the circuit together.

Bill asked what I did. I replied, “I do spiritual healing.”
“Oh,” he said, “I believe in that.”
“Tell me more,” I encouraged him.
He eyed me cautiously, “I found Jesus.”
“I’d like to hear about that.”
Reassured, Bill smiled. This was clearly a story he enjoyed telling. And one that moved me deeply to hear. Deeply.

“Around 2000,” he began, “There was a large Mary sculpture that was going around the country on a flat bed truck.”
“Yes I remember seeing it.” While it held no emotional meaning for me, we had taken some out-of-town Catholic friends to see work of religious art in a nearby church parking lot.

Bill and his wife were in the Catholic church till about 1967. “Then I got mad about something and walked out. We went to other churches, and for about 10 years we were Methodists. That’s where I learned about the Holy Spirit. And I’m so grateful.”

Later one day at work, Bill threw a coffee cup at a colleague. Fortunately it missed her, but he had to ask himself at that point, “What am I doing?” He asked a buddy to sign him out, and he went home for the day. His buddy called Bill’s wife to give her a heads up. “Something’s wrong with Bill. He just walked off the job, and he’s on his way home.”

His wife set up an appointment for him to see, in his words, a shrink.

Before that appointment, this Mary sculpture was in the area. They were driving, and his wife asked Bill if he’s like to see it, and he said No. They turned into the parking lot, though, and she asked if he’d like to get out and take a closer look, and he said No.
Father Paul, a hands-on healer, was there, and she asked if he’d like to talk to Father Paul, and Bill said No.
Yet he found himself talking to Father Paul who asked, “How can I help you?”
Bill said, “I don’t know. I’m very angry, and I don’t know why.”

He talked and talked and talked. Father Paul put his hand on Bill’s head and prayed. As he was praying, a storm came up - wind blowing the folding chairs around, and lightning, so intense that Bill couldn’t hear the prayer. Finally the storm quit and there was peace. He felt as though a burden had been lifted.
His wife asked, “Are you OK? “Yes,” Bill nodded. “I think I can sleep tonight.” then he added, “Wasn’t that the strangest storm!”
His wife looked at him. “Storm? Bill, there was no storm.” Bill realized it had been his own personal turmoil raging within him. No one else saw a storm.

About a week later his wife asked Bill when he had last suffered a migraine headache. These had plagued him from childhood and, though he had tried many medications over the years, nothing had helped. He realized there had been no headaches since Father Paul had prayed for him. In addition, all the anger was gone. They canceled the doctor’s appointment.

Bill went back to work and though nothing had changed, he wasn’t upset by his work environment anymore. No more Mr. Crabby.

He had never read the Bible. But his daughter, an Evangelical Christian, gave him one after this experience. Several months later he read about the Day of Pentecost. In great excitement Bill came running to his wife, “You have to read this! This is me!” He was thrilled by the description of the Holy Spirit as a rushing, mighty wind.

He and his wife returned to the Catholic church because, as she said of Bill’s transformation, “This is real. This is real.”

His story lasted about 30 minutes. We put our jackets on and left the field house together still talking. We hugged in the parking lot. “God is good,” he said as we parted. “Yes,” I agreed, He sure is.”

Who is today really about?

2011-02-17T13:30:00.010-06:00

Ever have a day when nothing's going your way? Maybe there's another perspective.

Maybe life isn't all about "me"?

A higher conversation

2011-02-17T10:41:00.001-06:00

What do you do when somebody's rude to you - for no apparent reason? I learned last week to go for a higher conversation.

I had gone to Home Depot for a small can of paint. You see, I had this bathroom waste basket with a lovely blending of most unusual colors -- pale blue, green, and yellow -- and had been thinking about putting some accents in the bathroom in these colors.

Bold, new, not so pale, accents

Wastebasket in hand for matching colors, I asked the clerk whether a toilet seat could be painted. He answered generically and negatively. Feeling sure it could be done, I repeated my question. He repeated his previous answer very loudly -- which was embarrassing because there were other customers and clerks nearby.

This conversation wasn't going at all in a productive direction. I knew God had a better plan for our relationship. To find out how to turn this in a useful direction, I reached out to God. I like to talk with Her often, and not only when things get dicey. I've learned to trust that She always has a good solution.

Finding a sense of God, good, being in charge, and standing across the counter from the clerk, I said very quietly, "I can hear you just fine without your raising your voice."

He paused, then replied trying to justify himself, but this time his reply was equally quiet.

I said nothing, but I did pray to love this guy. I loved his humility -- even if it wasn't evident. I loved his desire to serve. I loved his expertise, his skill, his progress in his career.

About that time he finished some puttering he was doing at the counter, looked up, and with a completely different attitude, allowed that a toilet seat could be painted under certain conditions. This led to his asking some good questions and then offering some helpful advice. He was all helpfulness.

He mixed the colors in enamel, and we parted on a very cordial basis.

James (in the Bible's New Testament) says, "Who is a wise man... among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." There is always a good conversation, always a better conversation, when God remains at the forefront of thought.

There will be celebrating

2011-02-10T10:38:00.005-06:00

Americans take the Bible for granted, pretty much.

Most anybody who wants to can buy, borrow, or read a Bible, not only in King James English, but in any of dozens of translations that take advantage of recent scholarship and research to add insight and accuracy.

And, yes, these translations are also in English. And with what reverence and enthusiasm do we (you and I) read the Word?

The Kimyals in West Papua, Indonesia, are thrilled to be receiving translations of the Bible in their own language. They raise the bar for joy in being able to read their BIbles.

I found their celebration very humbling.

No limit on friendships

2011-02-09T08:15:00.002-06:00

Love has no limits. In spite of what we're taught to believe, valuing, respecting, and caring for one another is natural.

Is God trying to tell you something?

2011-02-07T09:35:00.002-06:00

“The Color Purple” aired on Public TV the other night. Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover -- what a cast Steven Spielberg assembled for this beautifully directed movie, which debuted 26 years ago. I watch very little TV, but remembering this story as worthy of five stars, set aside the time. So glad I did.

Let's focus on the old fashioned Gospel song near the end of the movie. Here’s a tiny bit of background to set the scene.

Rural Georgia, early 1900s
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) - main character
Albert (Danny Glover) - Celie’s abusive husband
Shrug - popular jazz and blues singer with dubious reputation

Shrug has been trying to reconnect with her daddy -- a local preacher who turned his back on her years ago. When she’s in town, Shrug sings at the local bar which is within easy earshot of her daddy’s church.

Albert has beaten his wife and told her she was worthless since she was fourteen. Celie believed her beloved sister dead, when actually Albert had cruelly hidden her letters from his wife. Finally as Shrug helped her recognize her self-worth, Celie found and read the cache of her sister’s letters, gathered the courage to leave Albert, and has returned years later, financially independent, to inherit her father's home and land.

This particular Sunday morning, Shrug is singing to a full house at the bar. Her words, “So let me tell you somethin’ sister...” are interrupted by the Gospel choir across the little river, countering with their own message, “God is trying to tell you something.” Shrug used to sing this same song in her daddy’s choir, and it speaks to her heart now.

Leading the bar crowd down the road and right through the front doors of the church, Shrug counterpoints with the choir -- as only classic Gospel can do -- with an affection and hope that God is trying to tell them all something!

Finally her daddy gets the message and embraces Shrug as she tells him, “See Daddy, sinners have soul too.” Albert sitting alone on his front porch also gets the message and uses a stash of hidden cash to set in motion a chain of events which will soon reunite Celie and her sister.

God’s message may involve a change of heart, a willingness to forgive and go forward, or maybe to repent and go forward, or maybe something else and go forward. Sometimes, like the characters in the story, we need to pay attention. We might well ask, "What is God trying to tell me today?"

Here’s a wonderful clip of the Gospel choir and Shrug’s joyous moment.

The power of being a friend

2011-02-05T23:56:00.004-06:00

This email has been making the rounds again. It's a story with a good message.

One day when I was a high school freshman, I saw a kid from one of my classes walking home from school. His name was Kyle, and it looked like he was carrying every book he owned.

I asked myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.” I, on the other hand, had quite a weekend planned -- parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon -- so I shrugged and went on.

In a moment, a bunch of guys ran towards him, aggressively knocking the books out of his arms, then tripping him so he landed in the dirt, laughing as they moved on.

Kyle’s glassed went flying. As I walked over, there was terrible sadness in his eyes. Handing him his glasses I said, “Those guys are jerks. They should get a life.”

A smile lit his face. “Hey, thanks!” Together we gathered his stuff, and it turned out he lived near me. He’d just transferred from a private school, and that’s why I hadn’t seen him walking before.

As we talked, we hit it off real well. He was a cool kid, thoughtful, bright, funny. I invited him to play football with me and my buddies the next day. And he accepted.

We hung out a lot over the next four years. In fact we became best friends.

In our senior year we began talking colleges. Kyle was headed to Georgetown and pre-med, and I was going to Duke for business on a football scholarship. I felt we’d always be friends, and the miles would never be a problem

Kyle had really found himself, he had a good sense of who he was. He’d filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He almost had more dates than I did, and sometimes I was almost jealous.

As valedictorian of our class, Kyle had an important speech to prepare. I was so glad it wasn’t me having to go up there and speak to everybody.

Graduation day I could see he was nervous. “Hey big guy,” I said smacking him on the back, “You’ll be great!”

“Thanks,” he replied, looking me straight in the eyes with a warm smile.

On stage he cleared his throat and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through the tough times. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a couch, and especially your friends. I’m here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. And I’m going to tell you a story. My story.”

I stared in disbelief as he recounted the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself that weekend. He’d cleaned out his locker so his family wouldn’t have to do it later. He was carrying home all his things.

Kyle looked at me and smiled. “Thankfully, “he said, “I was saved by a friend. He saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

In the silence that followed, this likable young man told us about the lowest point in his life. Afterward his parents hugged me and shook my hand.

So, what Kyle said, I would underscore. Never underestimate the power of your actions. There is no such thing as a small act of kindness. One kind word or deed can change the course of another person’s life.

Community after the blizzard

2011-02-03T10:37:00.001-06:00

In the Chicago area, from what I can gather, things went rather well during the blizzard. People had advance warning to stock up on groceries. Most stayed home and didn’t get stuck and become part of a crisis. Even the newscasters were commenting on how the blizzard brought people together to help each other.

Before the plows came

I pray for my condo community, which is part family, part neighborhood. I pray for cooperation, support, fellowship, harmony, peace -- those qualities we want to see in our neighbors. Sometimes there is no clue as to how things are going.

Johanna looking for snow to shovel

About 10 pm, Anita called from the building at the other end of our complex. "My truck is stuck in the drive. I've tried everything and can't move it. I'm going inside now."

So, is anyone cut off from God’s love and care, even during a blizzard? It cannot be. Where God, good is ever-present, no one can be stuck outside that universal goodness.

Within minutes I saw from my window a young man running down the snow-filled drive with a snow shovel. It turns out his brother had pulled in and was stuck behind Anita’s truck. Both men helped her get her truck into a parking slot, and within a few more minutes, their van was also in its parking slot. She was so grateful.

Lauren peaks the local Matterhorn!

The plows came during the night after the wind stopped, and the next morning (after the snow had stopped). Nearly everyone spontaneously moved their vehicles so the plows could clear maximum parking slots. Owners were chatting and laughing as they congregated in little groups to watch the plowers do their swift work.

My heart filled with gratitude to see this sense of community and good-will in action.

Peace and silence afterward

Paul understood that nothing could separate him from the love of God -- and he had been jailed, beaten, betrayed, ship-wrecked, snake-bit, stoned and left for dead -- he had proved the oneness of God and His creation every day of his missionary life.

I was glad to see a glimpse of this oneness after the blizzard.

True progress

2011-02-02T14:06:00.000-06:00

"The new growth in the plant

swelling against the sheath,

which at the same time imprisons and protects it,

must still be the truest type of progress."

Jane Addams

Did we mention teamwork?

2011-02-01T14:53:00.002-06:00

True, this Youtube has been making the rounds for about three years, and well it should!

Fred Astair and Eleanor Powell set a standard in this 70 year-old clip. Teamwork, timing, rhythm, fun, precision... did we mention teamwork?

This spectacular dancing hints at another teamwork each of us can be part of. It has to do with recognizing our oneness with our Maker, infinite Truth. This awareness and approval aligns us with an infinite rhythm, timing, and teamwork that reveals what's genuinely beautiful and good in our lives. Even fun.

Our dance through life may not always be light and tappy and perfectly coordinated with everyone around us -- though that would be nice.

But as long as we pay attention to and follow the Chief Choreographer, we'll be OK.

In praise of crossing guards

2011-01-30T14:20:00.004-06:00

Since my grandsons began attending public grade school, crossing guards have suddenly come onto my radar.

Crossing guards didn’t exist when I walked my mile plus to school (through snowdrifts, and uphill both ways!). My school bus ran a perimeter and picked up those kids who lived more than a mile from school. I quit riding it when one of my neighbors -- Tommy Mills, a big 7th grader! -- was a very serious patrol boy on our bus.

I talked smart to him one day, and he told me to sit down and be quiet, as he should have. At nine I lacked the social and spiritual skills to deal with shame and hurt feelings, so my solution was to refuse to ride the bus after that.

Crossing guard on duty

Despite my foolish pride, the walk turned out to be delightful. The roads in our little community were Illinois level, and I picked up friends along the way who were finishing their breakfasts and happy to join me.

So while there were occasional patrol boys to keep order, crossing guards hadn’t been invented yet.

Here’s what these fine ladies and men do today. With their chartreuse vests and hand-held stop signs, these faithful guardians are found at busy intersections in all sorts of weather. Single-handedly they hold cars and trucks at bay while children, middle-schoolers, parents, joggers and dog-walkers cross safely under their watch. Their authority trumps the usual order of stop-sign etiquette.

At the intersection in the above photo, two ladies work a five-way stop in tandem to guide their charges safely through traffic. If a driver or a kid ignored the crossing guard, there could be chaos. The crossing guard concept succeeds because everyone pays attention.

It’s comforting for me to realize there is an All-knowing and All-seeing Crossing Guard who guides each of us safely through the intersections of life. She guides our steps through life's traffic with skill and alertness. Sometimes we may be told to wait at the curb, and we don’t know why. It’s all in the timing.

Life works best when each of us is patient and, more importantly, listens and watches attentively to know the right moment to go forward -- according to the wisdom of the Chief Crossing Guard.

Even a child can do it

2011-01-27T19:43:00.006-06:00

So simple even a child can do it? Apparently.

It's all that we love about children -- their joy, their spontaneity, their natural love for things beautiful, their ability to laugh at themselves, to surprise us with their talents.

It's also what we love in adults -- their joy, their ability to laugh at themselves, to appreciate things beautiful, to focus on what they love, to surprise us with their talents.

Love the child in you today, just for fun.

This is 3 year old Jonathan conducting to the 4th movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This piece was originally conducted by Herbert von Karajan ...

Up stairs romp

2011-01-24T21:23:00.001-06:00

Dog, cats, birds, have a wonderful sense of humor. Ask anyone who has lived among them.

People have a great sense of humor too. Here creativity, originality, a sense of fun, delight in the unexpected -- all come together in Stockholm.

Some bright folks created an experiment to see if people would take the stairs, rather than the escalator, if walking up the stairs could be made fun.

Gentle out-of-the-box humor that makes everybody smile. What a gift!

Thinking boldly - he treats his mugger right

2011-01-23T23:43:00.002-06:00

Keeping things simple in a complicated world, Julio Diaz takes his mugger to dinner.

It's a fairly simple story -- but one that required thinking boldly. You know what else? He didn't react. At least not with anger. He responded with kindness. He gave a desperate teen a glimpse of another way to live.

And who knows where that ripple of unselfish love will stop?

What it's all about

2011-01-22T14:56:00.000-06:00

Diane Rose doesn't know the meaning of the word "can't." Even if you are not particularly interested in quilting, your life will probably be enriched by meeting her.

Diane's accomplishments, filled with so much love, remind me of Mary Baker Eddy words, "We are all capable of more than we do." Diane is living proof.

There is no small kind act

2011-01-15T10:53:00.044-06:00

"Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.

The originating act of a warm hug!

Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Scott Adams

What splendid, unending ripples can your life send out today?

A healing message for Tucson and America

2011-01-13T09:04:00.008-06:00

Regardless of your political persuasion, I hope you'll agree that this message is one urging healing.

Here are a few excerpts from President Obama's memorial tribute in Tucson last night.

"Yes, we have to examine all the facts behind this tragedy... What we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other... Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion... to listen to each other more carefully... to remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together...

How do we “nurture our relationships with those who are still with us”?

“In the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth or status or power or fame, but rather how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.”

Below is the President's whole speech, which I hope you will listen to if you haven't yet.

Who you are makes a difference

2011-01-11T13:39:00.010-06:00

This story has been making the email rounds. It's worth repeating. Your life is important. Your life makes a difference. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. And perhaps equally important, let others know that who they are is important to you, that their life has made a difference.

A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in High School by telling them the difference each of them had made. She called each student to the front of the class one at a time. First, she told each of them how they had made a difference to her, and the class.

Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with the gold letters, which read, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.”

Afterward, the teacher decided to do a class project, to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each student three more blue ribbons, and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom, and report to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company, and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon, and put it on his shirt.

Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, “We’re doing a class project on recognition, and we’d like for you to go out, find someone to honor, and give them a blue ribbon.”

Later that day, the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had a reputation of being kind of a grouchy fellow. He told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon, and give him permission to put it on him.

His boss said, “Well, sure.” The junior executive took one of the blue ribbons and placed it right on his boss’s jacket, above his heart. And then he asked, offering him the last ribbon, “Would you take this extra ribbon, and pass it on by honoring somebody else?” The teenager who gave me these is doing a school project, and we want to keep this ribbon ceremony going and see how it affects people.

That night, the boss came home and sat down with his 14-year-old son. He said, “The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office, and one of my employees came in and told me he admired me, and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine! He thinks I am a creative genius! Then he put a blue ribbon on me that says, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.”

He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about who I would honor with this ribbon, and I thought about you. I want to honor you, My days are hectic and when I come home, I don’t pay a lot of attention to you. I yell at you for not getting good enough grades and for your messy bedroom.

Somehow tonight I just wanted to sit here and, well, let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You’re a great kid, and I love you!”

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn’t stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, “Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom, explaining why I had took my life, and I asked you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn’t think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don’t think I’ll need it after all.

His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch, and made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference.

The junior executive helped many other young people with career planning, one being the boss’s son, and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life.

In addition, the young man and his classmates learned a valuable lesson: Who you are DOES make a difference.

Clean up your inside world

2011-01-11T08:22:00.016-06:00

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

This is one of about ten ways to happiness Christ Jesus expounded on a couple of thousand years ago.

Because these are truths about human nature, they last. A bit like great pieces of music remain favorites over decades and centuries; and great literature and poetry and art work long after the authors and artists have passed on -- because they embody great truths or great beauty.

So who can be pure today? I find it helps to make a conscious effort to clear away the clutter, the he-said-she-said soap operas of daily life.

When I refuse to indulge hurt feelings, refuse to react. When I can not-be-impressed by offenses, insults, anger, resentments, and ask instead, What does a totally good God who is Truth, who is Love, require of me today? And live the best I know how according to the answer.

Then it's easier to see goodness and truth, caring and respect all around.

The Message Bible puts that 2000 year-old truth in today’s language: “You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and your heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”

A powerful act of unity

2011-01-08T20:02:00.005-06:00

In what appears such a fractious world, unity can startle us.

This past week Egyptian Muslims were willing to lay down their lives for the Coptic Christian minority. Thousands of Muslims formed human shields as Coptics in different parts of Egypt attended Christmas eve mass.

This was in response to the suicide bombing of Coptic Christians worshiping on New Year's day, which killed 21 people and wounded many others. (The Julian calendar puts the Coptic Christmas after the New Year.)

Using their bodies as shields to protect the Christian worshipers, the Muslims adopted the slogan, "Either we live together, or we die together."

This act of unity holds promise for Egypt and humanity.

Link for one news story.

The bird bush

2011-01-05T22:00:00.010-06:00

The Message (Bible in contemporary language) speaks of God's extravagant love. (See the very last verse of II Corinthians)

I have found comfort in thinking of God's love as always present, as intelligent and good, as wise and caring. I have been humbled in thinking of God as Love taking the initiative in the lives of humankind -- the kind of love that runs to meet us when we're bruised or battered or discouraged, and looking for something more than sympathy.

But extravagant? I had to think about this. And yes, from what I've learned of God's love, it does go beyond the bounds of what's reasonable. It is consistently more generous than I feel I deserve.

There's a bush outside my office window which in the fall was full of little brown berries. The birds spent several days eating it clean. Even now in January, sparrows, juncos, a pair of cardinals and a blue jay all take turns flitting in and out of this bush. I love watching the birds.

It finally dawned on me that God has given me this bush full of birds to cheer my work day. It is a gift. Once I quit taking such lively activity for granted, it became an expression of God's extravagant love. Who else could, or would, think to give me a bird bush?

One day they vacated it simultaneously in all directions. A split second later a hawk landed on the bush. How thrilling to see him so close. He may not have been thrilled, as he didn't catch anything that time.

Another day an antlered buck came walking around the corner of the condo, and paused to look in my window. He wheeled and disappeared when I looked up in amazement. Wow!

It can be awe-inspiring to consider these as little love-notes from an extravagant God.

How do you find God's extravagance in your day?

Friendship and perseverance

2011-01-01T14:23:00.002-06:00

Can the upper, upper class trust the "nobodys"? Can a man with no credentials help a king? Can perseverance and friendship triumph over an abusive childhood?

Perhaps. And perhaps.

If you're at all interested in a quality movie, true story, wry and quick wit, don't miss this one. (Be forewarned, there are some four-letter words.)

I loved this movie for the qualities mentioned above -- friendship, perseverance, trust in good, fidelity to purpose. Perhaps the trailer will help you decide.

I feel the doors of heaven open

2010-12-30T18:39:00.005-06:00

Very exciting interview: Tavis Smiley talks with Gustavo Dudamel, "Conducting a life."

The Dude, as he is fondly known in Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel cares about kids and music. He brings the two together in life-changing, life-affirming action.

Tavis says, "Kids have a lot in common with those old Polaroids. Just as that process needed exposure to the air, to develop into fully articulated photographs, kids need to be exposed to the best in this world to develop into fully realized human beings. And music without doubt should be part of that."

A 12-year old tympanist explains what classical music does for him, "When I play I feel like the doors of heaven just opened up for me."

If you enjoy classical music, or maybe more importantly if you haven't discovered that joy as part of your life yet, you might be interested in this interview.

Tavis Smiley interviews Gustav Dudamel

Jesus loved little children too. Perhaps he knew they were in sync with a higher music, that of the Kingdom of Heaven which, he said, is within each of us.

A time to walk

2010-12-28T00:01:00.003-06:00

Cuddle time

Chevy is a hopeless cuddler. He cannot grasp that he's too big. An equal opportunity pal, he is sure any lap will do, especially if it's on the couch.

Feeling secure is comforting. I can remember as a child, falling asleep in the family car on the way home from one place or another. My dad's strong arms would gather me up, carry me into the house, and plunk me gently on my bed. Mom would tuck me in. I felt so safe.

How disappointing to reach a size when instead of carrying me into the house, my parents would wake me up to groggily walk in with them -- on my own two feet. Probably there was a guiding hand on my shoulder to keep me from bumping into anything.

I was no less safe -- just assuming a little responsibility which took a little more effort.

I think our relationship with God is like that. Sometimes She carries us tenderly, strongly, in Her arms (as it were). As we grow in our ability to serve, She sets us on our feet, to discover we can walk on our own.

Spiritual strength, spiritual listening, a desire to give meaning to our lives helps us find that security and comfort in unselfish service. At least I haven't found any other way.

Chevy may never outgrow his need for being embraced. Yet you and I can find some degree of spiritual cuddling (hmm, interesting phrase) as we remember to let our Maker guide us in tangible and meaningful ways, for the sole purpose of helping others find safety and peace in their own relationships to their Maker.

The spirit of Christmas

2010-12-24T08:47:00.004-06:00

If you're especially fortunate, there's an event in your life that defines the spirit of Christmas. This story revives every year about this time, and it's one worthy of circulating. Even though it's considerably longer than my usual post, you may agree that you're glad you read it.

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight."

I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy.

When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me."

The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.

When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" "

You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked.

The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked.

"Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"

"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, "'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

A community of support

2010-12-21T12:50:00.000-06:00

2006. One of the biggest moment's in Jason's life. And well deserved. After carrying water and wiping sweat off the other players, Jason gets his opportunity.

Jason is terrific, but it isn't just Jason. It is his coach, his team, his school. They form a community of support. This is unity at its best. When Jason succeeds, everybody wins.

Morning's promise

2010-12-19T08:40:00.002-06:00

Sunrise approaching the winter solstice, especially in the city, feels really late. Yesterday and today the sun perched over the garage roofs around 8 am.

The cats have little tolerance for late breakfast. Buster tromps across my stomach at summer sunrise time demanding sustenance. Crystal, with gentle persistence, purrs in my face. They get their breakfast, and I'm glad to be up.

I love the promise of dawn at all times of the year. Mary Baker Eddy describes this promise succinctly,

"Morning. Light; symbol of Truth; revelation and progress."

Here's a summer sunrise photo taken at the foot of the Rockies. Morning with all its promise cascades a palate of pinks across an blue-sky canvas.

Christmas and outward symbols

2010-12-16T11:31:00.003-06:00

Kids naturally want to help others. Little things count.

We loved to open mysterious and brightly wrapped packages as youngsters. Yet Christmas becomes more, or less, to us as our years advance. Less as the gift-receiving is no longer a big deal. It becomes more as we discover the joys of giving. As we celebrate Christ in our hearts.

Some who have understood this, have also been able to articulate it. This poem is one of my favorites. It reminds us that withdrawing from the hubbub is possible. It sets a quiet standard for feeling that deep peace and love in our hearts, so that it finds expression in our lives.

John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet, wrote of Christmas:

Let every creature hail the morn On which the holy child was born And know, through God's exceeding grace, Release from things of time and place.

I listen, from no mortal tongue, To hear the song the angels sung, And wait within myself to know The Christmas lilies bud and blow.

The outward symbols disappear From him whose inward sight is clear, And small must be the choice of days To him who fills them all with praise.

Keep while ye need it, brothers mine, With honest zeal your Christmas sign, But judge not him who every morn Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born.

These words are in the Christian Science hymnal of 1937, hymn #170.

That old classic, Amazing Grace

2010-12-13T20:42:00.011-06:00

Grace. There's something about God's unconditional love and approval that's hard for the human mind to grasp. She puts it into our hearts to be expressed towards one another.

So here is a rendition, just because Andre Rieu does it so well:

Christmas challenge

2010-12-11T22:36:00.001-06:00

You have to love that somebody has the courage to challenge the status quo, to question just doing the same old, same old.

What if we spent less on presents and more on presence?
What would change?

Think about it

2010-12-09T11:39:00.001-06:00

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

Or, to paraphrase, “We don’t stop learning because we grow old; we grow old because we stop learning.”

Or, “We don’t stop caring because we grow old; we grow old because we stop caring.”

Or, “We don’t lose our sense of wonder because we grow old; we grow old because we lose our sense of wonder.”

Something to think about.

A winter bush full of birds - awesome sight

Finding Christmas purity

2010-12-05T08:57:00.002-06:00

Christmas makes me feel pure. True, I’ve backed away from nearly all gift exchanges, i.e. commercialism, and that helps immensely.

It begins, perhaps, with Mary’s purity. Pregnant outside marriage -- a sin worthy of stoning in her culture. She was comforted only by the angel, Gabriel, bringing a message of hope and promise. And dear Joseph. What’s a fiance to do? He must have been terribly troubled with unanswered questions -- who has Mary been fooling around with? Why? How can I prevent her being put to death by the village? -- until the same angel, Gabriel, brought him in on “the plan.”

So the unwed couple understood at least something of the larger picture as they lived and worked under the accusing eyes of their families and neighbors.

I think of the purity of that night when Mary gave birth in the cave-stable among the warm and gentle animals -- secluded from the hustle and bustle of the Roman census crowds. It was Rome’s counting of its populace which had brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.

I think of the purity of the shepherds who were tending their sleeping herds on that chill night. They didn’t argue with their angel messenger that something wondrous was taking place in a cave-stable in the nearby town. They ran to see.

Then there were the kings, or wise men, riding their camels for weeks or months. They had to have a purity of focus to stay the course, following a star -- of all things!

And all this purity came together, in due time, to celebrate Christ here and present.

May the spiritual innocence and joy of genuine Christmas be yours -- all year.


Tradition has Mary riding a little donkey like this one.

Sometimes you don't know the rest of the story

2010-12-03T17:13:00.001-06:00

It was a cold December afternoon as Mom and I drove home from an errand run. Both northbound lanes were stopping and starting erratically. Suddenly the cars in front of us sped away revealing the cause of the slowdown -- a medium-sized, brown dog stood bewildered in the gutter on our side of the highway.

She was stockily built and wore a chain collar dragging a leather leash. You could see at a glance that she had recently had puppies. She had apparently been wandering in the road and the drivers had stopped while she tried to figure out where to go.

“We need to stop,” Mom and I said almost together, pulling into a handy forest preserve parking area. “Father, what is your plan?” I asked, getting out of the car. That quick prayer set the tone for the next five minutes.

I ran along the grassy shoulder after the dog who was already headed south, fortunately still on the side of the highway. “Here Girl!” I called louder and louder till she heard and turned around. She waited. I kept talking to her.

“Thank you, Father, she’s waiting!” I said. She let me pick up the end of her leash, and agreed to step on the grassy shoulder. But she didn’t want to walk in the direction of my car. She felt she needed to go the other way. My mom approached and talked to her. She came with us a few steps and stopped. This girl was too heavy to pick up and carry.

“Father?” I quietly asked. Just then a woman pulled up and rolled down her window. Amazingly, there was almost no traffic behind her, so we could have this conversation.
“Do you need help?” she asked. “I saw the dog in the road and turned around and came back.” I said I wasn’t sure, that the dog didn’t want to come.

Checking for traffic in her rearview mirror, the woman swept clutter off the front passenger seat and said, “See if she’ll get into the car.” This was someone who was familiar with dogs.

I opened the door, patted the seat, and the dog jumped in. “Good girl!” the woman said as I flipped her the leash and closed the door. “Sit,” she said. The dog sat. I waved as she rolled up the window and drove off with the dog on the front seat.

Part of our job was done. The dog out of traffic. This next stranger had appeared and was taking the her on the next part of her journey. The woman could ask any vet to see whether the dog had an identification chip, in which case they could try to contact the owner.

Cynics could offer criticism at this point. But Mom and I had to trust our initial prayer, “Father, what is your plan?” And this was the second part of our job: to continue our prayers for the dog, and to expand them to including all who were homeless, to find their right home. That was perhaps the most important part of the episode.

Staying focused amid distractions

2010-12-02T19:05:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I met a new friend, Jolinda Wade, who is not your typical served-time-in-prison former drug addict. She turned her life around and is now co-Pastor of an active church that includes running a community soup kitchen.

In the prison segregation unit, for 18 months she wrote a daily letter of gratitude to God which, she said, kept her sane. Her letters, now published in a book, Divine Grace behind the walls, show her acceptance of His unconditional love, her instant obedience to everything God asked her to share -- with inmates, guards and administration.

One thing that comes across is that life in segregation is free of distractions. You're in one room 23 hours a day. No laundry, no grocery shopping, no TV, no phone calls, no emails. Just, if you so choose, you and God. You pray and you listen and you do. She startled herself by thanking God for segregation where she learned to give Him her every moment.

My goal too is to give my every moment, my every thought, to God to be purified. But I have to ask myself, how well do I deal with distractions? It takes great discipline of thought to say focused in a gratitude-prayer walk, not to become angry, annoyed, or disappointed. Sometimes it's a struggle.

Gratitude isn’t denial of the injustices all around, so much as commitment to recognizing the good, however small it may seem, as evidence of God present and active. I can do better!

Thank you, Jolinda, for setting such a high standard.

Burnt biscuits

2010-11-28T08:58:00.002-06:00

The following arrived in an email. It's such a good reminder to appreciate the broader good. Love, forgiveness, and gratitude go a long way towards maintaining good relationships.

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!   After I got up from the table that evening, I heard Mom apologize to Dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!" 

So my prayer for you today is that you will learn to take the  good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

Harmonica in Carnegie Hall

2010-11-27T22:33:00.000-06:00

Focus, dedication, and practice.

One happy man shares his talent in Carnegie Hall.

Flash mob surprise

2010-11-25T19:34:00.000-06:00

It's been fun to watch the evolution of flash mobs -- yes there is a name for them now -- these talented groups that appear to be so spontaneous.

They sing and dance and delight people in the most unlikely places -- and then disappear. Events such as "Doe a Deer" at the Antwerp train station, or the T-mobile dance at the Liverpool Street Station.

Now, in keeping with the season, we have the "Hallelujah Chorus" in a mall food court! (I'm guessing America for this one.)

My poem for Thanksgiving, 2010.

2010-11-22T07:59:00.007-06:00

Thanks-living

Thank you Mother-Father for your gifts:
Friends and fellowship,
vitality and kindness.

Your tough love wants
action as thanks.
No shallow living here!

Life, You say, isn’t cumulative.
Isn’t “He who, at the end, has the most toys wins.”
Life is giving.
Generously.

Existing asks, “How much do I have?”
Living asks, “How can I help?”

Jonah's story -- like you have never heard it before

2010-11-21T07:42:00.006-06:00

Perhaps you believe Jonah is a story told for the value of the lessons -- that we need to obey what God is asking us to do; that you can run, but you can't hide; that deciding how God should punish our enemies just doesn't work. Or perhaps you are a literal believer word-for-word.

Either way, here's a rendition that draws the listener in with a smile.

Actions of thanks

2010-11-20T22:58:00.000-06:00

Kindness is like the sun breaking through the clouds.

"Accion de Gracias." This is Spanish for Thanksgiving.

Don’t you love that first word, which translates as “action”?   Literally it reads “Action of Thanks.”

What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving -- with actions.

Even though times may be tough, there is always something to be grateful for. Maybe you have a friend, a spouse, or children who love you; or a dog or cat or a bird who loves you. Maybe you can count on three meals a day and a roof over your head. Maybe you have a job.

Maybe you have an opportunity to set things right in a relationship.

Here are some possible actions of gratitude: A phone call to let someone know you care about them, or an email for the same reason. Maybe a card or a letter -- sent the old fashioned way!   Your time given can be a precious gift.

How many ways can you find of to express your thanks through actions this coming week?

Run your own race

2010-11-16T17:01:00.007-06:00

In the movie, "Secretariat," the big horse was facing the third race of the 1973 Triple Crown. He had won the Derby, won the Preakness, and was facing the most grueling of the three, the Belmont -- one and one half miles of dirt track.

His intuitive trainer, Lucien Lauren, had a tough decision to make. Common wisdom said to let the horse rest between the Preakness and the Belmont. This approach made sense. But Lucien and Secretariat’s owner both knew how the horse loved to run. He was not a common racehorse. They agreed he should be allowed to run his own race. And so, contrary to common wisdom, they let him work out between the races.

On race day, Secretariat and his closest competition, another fine athlete, Sham, broke from the gate at the head of the pack and continued neck and neck. Until Secretariat began pulling ahead. The announcer said something like, “Secretariat ahead by a neck... by a length, by two lengths... by 11 lengths... by 20 lengths.” The big red horse won that race by 32 lengths. No one has seen anything like it before or since.

May I be clear at this point that I am not advocating horse racing or dog racing. These have become cruel industries. But that's another story for someone else to write.

Here now, for a spiritual take on Secretariat's triumph: we are all running our own races. Each of us has a different race to run. The lengths, locations, and conditions vary. Some are glitzy like the Derby. Some are grueling like the Belmont. Supporters may or may not be there to cheer us to the finish line.

Unlike most racing, we're not competing with anyone else. The point for us is not whether we come in first, second, or last, but that we finish the race before us the best we know how.

We can trust that our loving Mother-Father God has given us exactly what we need to praise Her in the race of this moment. Love, honesty, intelligence, and a willing heart make a good start.

Rules of Life - as lived by a friend

2010-11-14T22:35:00.002-06:00

In 2002 I worked on temporary assignment for a crackerjack manager. She was bright, funny, effective.

Our team worked long hours together. She was the one who took responsibility for solving problems and finding solutions. By the way she lived, she taught wonderful life-lessons. I wrote them down one day before the assignment ended. Here’s what flowed from my fingers to the keyboard.

If it’s at all important, pray first.
Pray first, Pray often. Pray always.
If something doesn’t feel quite right, pause, step back. Don’t proceed with anything that feels mushy. Pray about it.
Act on your intuitions.
Be quick in obeying your highest sense of right. If a direction or a conversation suddenly seems not quite right, don’t ignore that intuition. Take control and move graciously in a right direction.
Praise first, praise often, praise generously, praise exuberantly. Praise whenever you can. Find the good, and build on that.
Support your team consistently. Publicly praise individuals. Privately discuss needed improvements.
Recognize incursion of evil and don’t tolerate it.
Forgive and forget. Move forward.
Recognize your own shortcomings. Be willing to apologize.
Have fun. Be fun. Laugh often. Laugh rather than cry.
Laugh at yourself a lot. Keep your jokes gentle. Never joke, even a little, at someone else’s expense. Use clever wit that uplifts.
Keep your joy spontaneous. Expect good from every direction. Deny evil power, presence, activity.
When you’ve worked long and hard all day, take a break. Put on some good music and dance!
Pray before speaking. Keep your tongue a servant to kindness.
Don't criticize. Pray for the right wording to present criticism in a constructive way, so that it doesn’t even sound like criticism.
Don’t personalize evil ever.
Don’t argue. Either contribute a constructive idea (perhaps through a carefully crafted question), or be quiet and pray.
Keep your goals in focus. Recognize and resist distractions. Tangents, even worthy ones, are time-wasters if they do not immediately support the goal at hand. Move them to another time, or eliminate them.
Be willing to help. Also see clearly when appropriate help lies in another direction, and point that direction. Be firm on not getting involved when it is inappropriate.
Don’t be wishy-washy. Make your best decision at the time. Be flexible and willing to change direction as new information comes to light.
Go for the big picture. Comprehending the big picture helps you make intelligent decisions.
Be thorough in a project. Pay attention to detail. Every detail. Assume nothing.
Don’t get into the dream. Life is not a burden, but a joy. If you feel a burden you are in the dream. Get out of the dream. Refuse to be part of somebody else’s dream.
Don't react even when reaction seems justified. Stay quiet and pray Find God’s power and strength. You don’t always have to say something. Your strength may be in active silence, in letting others feel you have listened.
Stay humble by staying close to divine Love.

Rules of Life -- as dogs would write them

2010-11-12T09:40:00.002-06:00

This delightful text came in a forwarded email -- author unknown.

Live simply.   

Love generously.

  Care deeply.   

Speak kindly.

Smile because you’re happy.  

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.   

Remember to play!

Run, romp, and play daily.

Never pass up the opportunity to encourage your friends.   

Relish the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face.  

When you take a nap, stretch before rising.   

Thrive on attention -- giving and receiving -- and let people touch you.   

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.   

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.   

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Always be ready to make new friends.  

Be loyal.   

Never pretend to be something you're not.

  If what you want lies buried,  dig until you find it.   

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

Enjoy now!  