A Father's Sin

When I was about eight years old I use to play with a friend who lived just down the street and across the ally from us. One day while playing in his front yard I saw my father’s car go past us and the woman who lived next door was riding in the front seat with him. I didn’t think much about it but when I got home I told my mom and she was not happy with that news.

 

When he got home mom told him what I had said. He became angry and accused me of lying. He then beat me with a belt for lying. When I say beat I mean just that and it was severe.

 

Years later – 30 years – I learned that I had not lied and that I was punished for his sin. 

Core Values

There are core values by which one lives and dies:  loyalty, a sense of justice, love, generosity, compassion are examples. Our core values make us who we are and are developed very early in life.

Those do not change but the expression of them and understanding them as motivations, cultivating the best qualities of these values should change as we mature, but the values themselves are constant and do not shift over time.

New values can be added as we reflect on our  experiences through parenting, or career, or losses.

Something to think about Enjoy your day

Life's Storms

We were riding out a hurricane in our Jacksonville Florida home and though it was not the worst of that kind of storms it was still frightening enough. We prayed all though the storm’s passing.

 

I remembered the time that Jesus stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee and then scolded the disciples for their lack of faith. It is difficult to not be afraid when the winds are blowing hard and fast all around you.

 

Like the disciples, we may go through literal storms in our lives such as actual hurricanes, cancer, accidents that leave us crippled or alone. Jesus may remove the problem as he did for the disciples on the sea but more importantly he stays with us through the storm so that no matter what happens around or to us we are His and safe with Him. We may indeed be terrified but no matter how big the waves or strong the winds Jesus will see us through.  

God Talk

I am helping a young friend begin to study theology. It can be a very confusing course of study for a beginner to deal with. To confound the issues he comes from a background of a church with a well developed organization of Bishops to a church of pastors in a grassroots theology.

 

Theology simply means to study God.  God however is beyond our human comprehension.  Humans have tried to control God by definition and it has not worked. In trying to define the term God we are trying to put God in a box of our own making. So we need to be able to expand our thoughts to include more than we are and accept that our study will take us to new places.

 

The creator of the universe exists even beyond our universe. The simple phrase “God is great” is only a starting point but it is a good place to start. It is not where does God fit into our universe but rather where do we fit into God’s universe. Theology is all about understanding our relationship with God. It is a life long study for all of us.

Look Around

In the days of the Prophet Zechariah about 520 BC, Jerusalem enjoyed a season of peace and prosperity. Under Persian rule the Hebrews enjoyed the chance to live without fear and want. They could worship and obey God and not have to worry.

 

As often happens in times of peace and plenty people tend to relax in their observance of their faith. Its party time and we do not worry about tomorrow as everything is OK today. What usually happens under these conditions is that we let righteousness slide and we become corrupt as a society. That put us on a downward slide into the pit of depression. This has happened many times in the past and we fail to learn from history.

 

The prophet Zechariah tried to call the people to actions and repentance. Well that is the job of a prophet!

 

Look around and ask, “Where are we today?”

Rays of Hope

Life around us is what it is. Sometimes the surrounding circumstances are not particularly easy, cheerful or bright. Events or bad news can bring a cloud of gloom over us and could depress our spirits.

 

Sometimes our mindset can be like a cold cloudy winter’s day when we just feel like staying in wrapped snuggly in a blanket of remorse.

 

 Scripture reminds us that those who belong to Jesus the Christ never go through these times alone, the Holy Spirit abides with us at all times to fill us with light and joy. We need only to open our spirits up to God’s Spirit and feel the rays of love shinning though our window.

What is Wrong Here

Many years ago I read about what WWII German doctors did to experiment on Jews and was revolted. How could any human do that to another? I was smug in the knowledge that America was a righteous, God fearing country where that kind horrible of thing would never happen.  

 

Later I discovered to my horror that our elected government had in fact done the same kind of thing to unsuspecting black men at about the same time. I was floored.

 

Now I discover that in the 1940’s our government was also doing it to Mexicans. What next?

 

At issue in all three cases is that the doctors doing this had all taken an oath to do no harm but because they believed that those beings they were experimenting on were less human than them selves that it was OK. I have a very difficult time understanding that attitude.

 

People are capable of committing brutal acts upon others. What is it that keeps us civil? What causes me to react in horror while another person shouts right on?