{"id":4994,"date":"2016-01-12T17:40:36","date_gmt":"2016-01-13T01:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/?page_id=4994"},"modified":"2024-08-09T17:23:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T00:23:06","slug":"pastor-larrys-blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/inspiration\/pastor-larrys-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"The Circuit Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"PastorLarryBlog_inspiration-sign\"<\/a>

(An occasional blog from Pastor Larry LaPierre. Larry passed away Dec 21st, 2023. We remember him fondly & cherish his wisdom & writings.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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5 October 2022\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 PDF Version<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Giving Up On God<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For thousands of years, people have prayed for God to do something. The reasons are many, and the response to our prayers have sometimes been exactly what we hoped for. At other times, the response to our prayers has caused us to wonder whether God was listening. Some people, even people of faith, have given up on God.<\/p>\n

Why is that? Why do we give up on God? There may be a simple explanation, at least on a psychological level, to explain what, to many people, is unexplainable. However, I have not found it. What I have found are a number of what I describe as \u201cObstacles to a Life of Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the title of a talk that I used to give when I was a spiritual director on a 3-day weekend known by various names (Cursillo, Tres Dias, Walk to Emmaus, Kairos). That 30\u201360 minute talk included considering the place of prayer in our lives as people who wanted to become more thoughtful, loving, and effective disciples of Jesus. So, how does prayer work? Better yet, why doesn\u2019t prayer \u201cwork?\u201d<\/p>\n

A large part of the problem is that we don\u2019t all agree on what prayer is. Untold numbers of books have been written that attempted to answer that question. For some of us, prayer is an intensely personal experience of quietly listening for God\u2019s Spirit to speak to us. For others, it is a highly verbal time of telling God all that we want God to know. That includes what we want God to do about what is not to our liking about the world. Then, there are people who expect that God knows everything that we need and provides for our needs. There is good biblical support for that view. Others believe that the prayer of a pastor, priest or a pastoral counselor is somehow more effective than the prayers of people who are not ordained. \"\"<\/p>\n

One of my friends said I told him that \u201cPrayer is just talking to God.\u201d I was not able to come up with a brief explanation of why I thought that was not how I would explain my experience of prayer now. There is always more to say about God and prayer. What I want to emphasize here is that the focus of prayer at any moment in time can be about anything in us or in the lives of anyone, as well as anything else that we are concerned about. However, the focus ideally begins with God and stays on God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n

We need to do our best to pray as people who are seeking \u201cto know, to love and to serve God.\u201d In other words, in the ideal world, prayer is an expression of what we feel, think and discover in our search for God and the choices we have to make to draw closer to God.<\/p>\n

We also need to know that God does not ignore the prayers or cries for help of any sort just because we don\u2019t know how to pray like someone else does. That reality was settled once and for all when I read a book by the author, Ann Lamott, who writes about addiction and spiritual life. The book that I am referring to was entitled, \u201cHelp! Thanks! Wow!\u201d At first, I thought that she was oversimplifying the nature of prayer by focusing on prayer in times of need (\u201cHelp!\u201d), in times when we are grateful (\u201cThanks!\u201d) and in times of wonder, joy or excitement (\u201cWow!\u201d).<\/p>\n

However, her book brought me back to the basics of prayer. They include these four factors:
\n1) There is a God
\n2) God loves us.
\n3) Trust, or at least hope, that God can intervene in our life for good.
\n4) The willingness to be guided, guarded and grounded in God\u2019s presence with us.<\/p>\n

If prayer is that basic, why do some of us give up on God? Why don\u2019t we believe in God? Why don\u2019t we believe that God offers us ways to discern God\u2019s voice amongst all the other voices that clamor for our attention? Why don\u2019t we trust God at all times\u2014not just during a crisis?<\/p>\n

Part of the answer is what I have just shared with you, but there is much more that complicates our awareness and trust of God. Here are some possibilities. It may be that:
\nNo one has helped us to make prayer a daily spiritual discipline.
\nWe have no person with whom to pray each day.
\nWe have prayed and \u201cnothing\u201d happened (i.e., God did not answer our prayer in the way that we had hoped or expected.
\nWe have not made an effort to learn about prayer and all the different ways that people have prayed over the centuries.<\/p>\n

One of my clergy colleagues in Maine was not especially interested in prayer. However, on 9\/11 (2001) when the four airplanes were hijacked and nearly 3000 people lost their lives, she prayed a very appropriate prayer. All day long she and a friend kept crying out, \u201cOh God!, \u201cOh God!,\u201d \u201cOh God!\u201d<\/p>\n

She was helpless to undo the damages to the buildings, the planes, or the people who died that day. To their credit, those two women did not give up on God. Perhaps a significant aspect of prayer lies in not giving up on God. One of the lines from that 3-day weekend that I mentioned earlier is spoken by the spiritual director to each person. The spiritual director says, \u201cChrist is counting on you.\u201d The response is, \u201cI am counting on Christ!\u201d<\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t commit ourselves to depending on God, we make a spiritually-damaging mistake. We either decide to depend on ourselves or on another person or group. In effect, we make the mistake that many people in the ancient Near East, in nations around the world, and even in modern America make. We act like little gods. Carried too far, we become so self-reliant that we imagine that God is not real or that \u201cGod is too busy to bother with me.\u201d Some of us tell ourselves that we don\u2019t need God or any representatives of God.<\/p>\n

That spiritually-damaging attitude comes from the many people who have told me in one way or another that they don\u2019t need God right now. They are managing just fine as they are. The mistake is to believe that God is only to be called upon when we are in deep distress. Or when someone or some group that we care about needs God\u2019s help. In those circumstances we naturally plead for God\u2019s help. However, whether we are praying loudly or softly, occasionally or frequently, by ourselves, or with a large group, spontaneously or with pre-written or formal prayers; we may actually not discern God\u2019s response. We might even fail to notice what God has already done even before we prayed.<\/p>\n

When we are tempted to give up on God, it\u2019s important to remember that God has not and will not give up on us. In fact, God has almost certainly been helping in ways that we may not ever recognize. To summarize the importance of not giving up on God, let me close with two verses from the Sermon On the Mount:<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk, and it will be given to you;
\nsearch and you will find;
\nknock and the door will be opened to you.
\nFor everyone who asks receives,
\nand everyone who searches finds.
\nAnd for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
\n(Matthew 7:7-8)<\/p>\n

As always, I welcome your responses<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Rev. Larry LaPierre\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1 October 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

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15 September 2022<\/p>\n

Why Forgive?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is a rare day when we hear of a family, a church, or a well-known person plead for mercy – and even forgiveness – for having caused pain, suffering, death or another type of loss. Of those who do take responsibility for their behavior, the apologies often sound anything but real! Philosophers, theologians, pastors, priests, psychologists, police, and parents along with judges, lawyers, politicians and other public servants want to know \u201cWhy?\u201d Why do some of us do terrible things to one another and then not apologize sincerely? Is it true that we are so mixed up as a society that we are truly unable to prevent such horrific violence? Why can\u2019t some of us even muster a genuine apology?<\/p>\n

With or without answers to these questions, many of us must face the public outcry about how these terrible events should never have happened! The continuing violence and the fear that springs to life when a gun is drawn, a shot is fired, someone cries out in agony, or a person falls to the ground dead, are so awful that we try not to get involved. These are not hypothetical questions for an ethics exam or topics for a term paper. They are part of day-to-day life where I live and where many of you live!<\/p>\n

How do we respond when it\u2019s clear…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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26 February 2022<\/p>\n

Where is the Voice of the Christian Church?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For most of my life I have failed to make sense of war.\u00a0 One of my earliest memories of the results of war include being a 7-year-old boy living in Berlin, Germany.\u00a0 I was there because my father, a career non-commissioned officer in the U. S. Army, had sent for us once the blockade of Berlin by the Soviet Union had ended.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, it never occurred to me in 1949 that perhaps I was there to see the horrendous damage done by the Allies to Germany.\u00a0 Regardless of how we feel about Nazi Germany, one part of God\u2019s people severely damaged another portion of God\u2019s people. \u00a0 Piles\u00a0 of rubble from bombed out buildings, including homes, were no further than the end of the street.\u00a0 Bullet holes were in evidence in the exterior of the home we were assigned to inhabit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of my adult life I have struggled with what drives some people to initiate war while others denounce it as inconsistent with the will of a loving God.\u00a0 Still others proclaimed that it was precisely that same God who affirmed war as the only sane response to an enemy.
\n<\/span>Two observations keep surfacing as I consider the merits of war…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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5 February 2022<\/p>\n

What Happened to the Earth?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

THESIS: HUMANITY HAS FAILED TO PROTECT THE EARTH.\u00a0 \u00a0 Genesis 1:27-31<\/a>\u00a0(Quail Hollow)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old Southern Gospel song that I first learned at an evangelical church in Massachusetts. The first verse expresses what a lot of Christians have felt for decades and even longer:<\/p>\n

This world is not my home; I\u2019m just a passing through, My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;<\/em>
\nThe angels beckon me from heaven\u2019s open door, And I can\u2019t feel at home in this world anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot more about how wonderful heaven will be, but meanwhile…<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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20 December 2021<\/p>\n

The Meanings of Christmas<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Christmas is the \u201cmost wonderful time of the year for many of us.\u00a0 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in his poem \u201cChristmas Bells,\u201d said it as well as anyone:<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the bells on Christmas Day
\nTheir old, familiar carols play,
\nAnd wild and sweet
\nThe words repeat,
\nOf peace on earth.
\nGoodwill to (all)!\u201d<\/p>\n

However, for Christians there is often more to say and to experience about Christmas.\u00a0 When our children and our siblings\u2019 children who don\u2019t visit very often are able to join us at our local church Christmas pageant we get to remember what Christmas was like years and even decades ago.\u00a0 We not only remember what was said and done in these pageants. We also may re-experience the grace of God as the retelling of the miracle of Jesus\u2019 birth reawakens our desire to draw closer to God.<\/p>\n

However…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n

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25 June 2021<\/p>\n

There is a Balm in Gilead<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are nights that I sleep soundly and awake with the hope that comes from knowing that I and everyone else lives because of God\u2019s love.\u00a0 We may experience God\u2019s creating love as God renews the earth we stand on, the air we breathe and the water we drink.\u00a0 We may experience God\u2019s redemptive love.\u00a0 Someone may have pointed out our involvement in some sinful or truly unkind way of treating ourselves or other people.\u00a0 For a moment, a day, or a period of many years, we may have lived with the burden of being a sinful person.\u00a0 Then God found a way to speak a word of forgiveness, a reminder of God\u2019s love that saved us from even our own condemnation.\u00a0 We may even have been shown and repeatedly reminded that God has need of our involvement in building the Kingdom of God within our hearts and communities.<\/p>\n

As with all-too-many friends of mine, we may have chosen to ignore God\u2019s call.\u00a0 In fact, if we felt called to serve God we may have ignored God\u2019s call.\u00a0 Why do we sometimes deliberately choose not to accept a call from God? There are at least a few reasons that may show up at any stage in a person\u2019s life\u2014a person such as you or me.<\/p>\n

Truly some of us believe that we simply cannot be effective in serving God because we lack the education, the learning ability, or even the sense of wholeness that we believe we would have if we were truly called by God.\u00a0 Perhaps we have sinned in such a grievous manner that we feared the shame that we would feel if this sin were ever disclosed.\u00a0 Or, even worse, we may believe that we have committed the so-called \u201cunforgivable sin.\u201d\u00a0 Often, we simply could not see past our accumulated sin, brokenness, fears and selfishness to believe that God can heal our inner spiritual lives…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n

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17 September 2020<\/p>\n

A Meditation About God<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some people wonder about God.\u00a0 Others spend a lifetime learning about God through study and experience.\u00a0 There are yet others of us who hardly take time from our daily routine to notice the impact that God has on this world\u2014unless, of course, we are moved by the beauty of a particular sunset or perhaps a performance of a hymn like \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d or Handel\u2019s Hallelujah Chorus.\u00a0 There is another group of us who are moved, perhaps frightened is a better word, to wonder where God is when we are in the midst of a crisis (i.e. as in \u201cThere are no atheists in foxholes!\u201d).<\/p>\n

Why not?\u00a0 Do we seriously imagine that what we learned about God as children is enough to empower us to know, love and serve God throughout our lifetime?\u00a0 My experiences as a scientist, a church pastor, a board-certified hospital chaplain and now as a retired clergyperson have given me reason to wonder why I have not thought about God and God\u2019s servants more often.\u00a0 I have not lacked for reminders of God\u2019s call to me.\u00a0 Is there something about the human soul or spirit that interferes with my desire, my ability or my willingness to look deeper into myself (my soul, my spirit) to better realize that God is speaking to me and to each of us?<\/p>\n

Do we somehow feel unworthy of God\u2019s love?\u00a0 What kind of a God would want us to feel unloved and to refrain from sharing the awareness of God\u2019s love with others who have forgotten, never learned, or feel unworthy of God\u2019s love?…<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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1 July 2020<\/p>\n

This Little Light of Mine
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A few decades ago, when I was still serving as a church pastor in northern New England, I spent time every Sunday leading a worship service for the children.\u00a0 It was not part of the main service.\u00a0 I wanted the children to be able to worship God without feeling as if the adults were waiting for them to sat something that was funny or that would otherwise distract any one from becoming aware of God\u2019s presence with each person.<\/p>\n

The children\u2019s worship service was held before they went to their Sunday school classes.\u00a0 It was a special time for the children, their Sunday school teachers and me.\u00a0 As part of this children\u2019s service we sang hymns that the children knew or that I could teach them.\u00a0 One of our favorite hymns was \u201cThis Little Light of Mine.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The words and the music are in The United Methodist Hymnal (# 585).\u00a0 The words are simple, but not at all childish:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis little light of mine, I\u2019m goin\u2019-a let it shine\u201d (sung 3 times)
\n\u201cLet it shine, let it shine, let it shine\u201d…<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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25 May 2020<\/p>\n

Grief
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are many reasons to grieve, and I suspect that each of you who read this blog can readily call to mind one or more losses from which you have not yet healed. After all there are some reasons to grieve over losses which can never be set \u201cright\u201d again. Many people have lost jobs to which they may never return. Others of us have been slandered in ways and with such intensity that we will never regain our good name (i.e. reputation). Some have been denied an opportunity to obtain a college education. Then there are all the friends, family and neighbors who have died.<\/p>\n

However, even this list does not take into-account some of the more contemporary reasons for deep and long-lasting grief. Thousands of parents grieve and will continue to grieve because their children have been taken away from them at international border crossings. The children in turn grieve over the forced separation from their parents\u2019 love and protection. The children often lose the right to safety, dignity, hope, a good education, respect for their culture, etc.<\/p>\n

What do we do about all of these as well as other forms of grief? I can tell you what does not help grief…<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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22 April 2020<\/p>\n

Be Perfect as God is Perfect
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When United Methodists are about to be ordained as elders, we are each asked a series of 20 questions by the bishop who is about to ordain us.\u00a0 These questions date back to the 18<\/span>th<\/span> century to John and Charles Wesley\u2014the founders of Methodism.\u00a0 If there is more than one person to be ordained the usual procedure is for the bishop to address each of the 20 questions to the candidates as a group.\u00a0 In turn, we answer as a group.<\/span><\/p>\n

That may sound easier than being called forward individually, to answer those questions with no one on the platform except the bishop in front of us and 500-1000 family, friends and fellow clergy behind and below us.\u00a0 We might even assume that, being together as a group, any confusing or (perish the thought!) wrong answers would be drowned out in the relative Babel of voices aa all of the candidates for ordination answered together. \u00a0 However, Bishop George Bashore\u2019s hearing was in excellent form on both occasions of my ordination (deacon and elder).\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that he heard every answer…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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25 March 2020<\/p>\n

Fix This Now!
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Every day is a new opportunity to love God!\u00a0 God even makes it possible for us to love God and to recognize God as the giver of all good things.\u00a0 Life is a daily gift from God. Every breath I take, each person who loves me, every opportunity that I have to see the beauty of Creation and every smile I see on a child\u2019s face is a gift from God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, those are common enough gifts.\u00a0 Yet I have days when it is more difficult to recognize that these gifts are really gifts\u2014God\u2019s gifts!\u00a0 It\u2019s not a problem every day. It is not even a problem on most days. But, yes, on <\/span>some days<\/span><\/i> I struggle to recognize that God is working as fully in my life as God is working in every other person\u2019s life.\u00a0 Those are days when it seems, in St. Paul\u2019s words that I \u201csee through a glass darkly…\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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2 March 2020<\/p>\n

Religion and Politics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Conventional wisdom can help us to avoid some of the pitfalls of life. Here are a few that are worth considering:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t bite the hand that feeds you.<\/li>\n
  2. Let sleeping dogs lie.<\/li>\n
  3. A fool and his money are soon parted.<\/li>\n
  4. Don\u2019t forget to say \u201cPlease\u201d and \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What about conventional wisdom concerning religion? I didn\u2019t have to look too hard to find some:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Religion is a private matter between a person and God.<\/li>\n
    2. There are no atheists in foxholes.<\/li>\n
    3. Religion and politics don\u2019t mix!<\/li>\n
    4. \u201cSpirituality is for people who\u2019ve been to Hell and religion is for those who haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      15 April 2019<\/p>\n

      Holiness and Holy Week
      \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Holiness is not exactly a new concept for people who are open to God\u2019s presence.\u00a0 In fact, holiness is a quality that enables us to recognize what is sacred, real and good in all of God\u2019s people.\u00a0 It keeps us humble when we recognize how difficult it is to keep the door to our hearts open.<\/p>\n

      That open door requires humility, courage and selflessness that, lacking God\u2019s grace, none of us could ever hope to develop.\u00a0 Holiness is based in part, on self-awareness and on our awareness of God\u2019s will for us.\u00a0 As much as we might imagine that we would\u00a0 like to be the next Mother Theresa of\u00a0 Calcutta or the next Albert Schweitzer of Lambarene, the reality is that most of us are not willing to make the sacrifices that they made in serving \u201cthe least of these brothers and\u00a0 sisters of (Jesus).\u201d (Matthew 25:40 CEB<\/a>). Still, we are called to love as Jesus loves.<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      25 March 2019<\/p>\n

      The Secret is Simply This<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      One of my favorite hymns proclaims \u201cThere is No Secret what God can do. . . What (God\u2019s) done for others (God) will do for you.\u201d\u00a0 Is that true?\u00a0 Is there a secret to serving God? \u00a0It can be difficult to believe that God will do for us what God has done for others.\u00a0 Look around!\u00a0 Thousands of people in the city where I live (San Jose, CA, USA) are homeless.\u00a0 Others are 1 or 2 paychecks away from homelessness.\u00a0 Many are forced by lack of other opportunities to live in makeshift \u201ctent cities.\u201d\u00a0 Do the people living in those \u201ctent cities\u201d ever ask God, \u201cWhy did you do this to me?\u201d or \u201cWhy did you let this happen to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

      I would be very surprised if the homeless, jobless, chronically ill, aging and others who live here in the United States of America as well as around the world will continue to suffer quietly.\u00a0 They lose increasing amounts of control over their lives.\u00a0 One major reason for their suffering is that they don\u2019t receive a fair share of the nation\u2019s wealth. \u00a0It is being concentrated in the hands of a very small percentage of people.\u00a0 However, just as the people of ancient Israel cried out to God for relief from their oppressors (Exodus 3:7-12<\/a>), so will those who suffer needlessly in our time cry out to God for relief.<\/p>\n

      Is there a secret?\u00a0 Has someone failed to disclose how and why we should relieve the suffering of people whom God loves?…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      22 January 2019<\/p>\n

      What Times Are These?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Charles Dickens opened his famous novel A Tale of Two Cities <\/em>with a sentence which many of us recognize but can\u2019t quote the source. He wrote about the events leading up to the French Revolution of 1789 and the consequent horrors that ensued when the peasants had finally gotten angry enough with to do away with much of the French aristocracy.\u00a0 He begins the book with these memorable words.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the best of times; it was the worst of times . . . .\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

      However, there is more to that first sentence than most of us know.\u00a0 Dickens also said,<\/p>\n

      \u201cIt was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the Spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going the other way.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

      My sense is that Dickens\u2019s description fits what is happening right now all over the world.\u00a0 What we notice and how we respond to it depend very much on what our experiences have been like up to the point of knowing that this suffering is too much suffering.\u00a0 So, we ask, \u201cWhat is going on?\u00a0 Is this truly the time for all these terrible events to be happening?\u00a0 Is this God\u2019s time?\u00a0 Why is God allowing all of these forms of suffering to happen at the same moment in history and in so many places?\u00a0 Are these times somehow different from all the times of suffering in the past?<\/p>\n

      What am I suggesting?\u00a0 I\u2019m suggesting that we look at what we live with as well as the suffering of countless other people around the world to see how they are connected.\u00a0 One of the experiences that we share with people worldwide is the suffering brought on by war. \u00a0For literally thousands of years people just like us have wondered, \u201cWhere is God when we go to war?\u201d\u00a0 Almost unnoticed in recent years are changes in what we expect of God in the midst of suffering around the world…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      28 November 2018<\/p>\n

      The Peace of Christ
      \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Peace seems to be as elusive as ever.\u00a0 \u00a0Whether we are focusing on the inner peace that we often associate with the peace of God or the peace that many give their lives to preserve in war, real peace flows from the human heart\u2014not down the barrel of a gun. \u00a0We will not find real peace, however, unless we begin with God.\u00a0 Experiencing God\u2019s peace requires a specific foundation.\u00a0 That foundation is God\u2019s grace.\u00a0 Without God, we have no hope for peace.<\/p>\n

      With God\u2019s grace we are equipped to share mutual respect for our neighbors.\u00a0 We also are able, with God\u2019s grace, to heal inwardly from the spiritual challenges and damages that most of us encounter almost daily.\u00a0 \u00a0Because of God\u2019s love we can hope for the future of all of God\u2019s people. \u00a0If we are blessed to arrive at this stage, then we face another huge step.\u00a0 We face a particularly spiritual challenge to our inner peace when we are asked or forced to go to war.\u00a0 Inner peace does not survive very easily or for very long when we are violent toward anyone.\u00a0 We cannot delude ourselves into believing that war and peace can coexist in anyone\u2019s heart.\u00a0 Thinking that we can do so only makes us more neurotic as a nation and as individuals.\u00a0 Nor does it clear the way for the advent of the One we know as \u201cThe Prince of Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

      There are other roadblocks to our inner peace with God.\u00a0 A major distraction from God is the compulsion to buy things all year long, many of which we don\u2019t need, and then intensify our search for \u201cright things\u201d to give to each other at Christmas.\u00a0 We get so caught up in exchanging gifts that we risk missing the greatest gift of all…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      11 October 2018<\/p>\n

      Putting Down the Burdens of the Past
      \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Yes, there really are a lot of obstacles to living a life guided by God\u2019s will and empowered by God\u2019s grace (i.e. God\u2019s gift of Godself to us).\u00a0 Temptations are, as a group, a major obstacle to what God is trying to do for us and through us.\u00a0 As someone said years ago, \u201cI can resist anything except temptation.\u201d\u00a0 Of course, temptations vary with age, ability, experience and other factors.\u00a0 I live with the task of resisting the temptation posed by dark chocolate!<\/p>\n

      At least some of our temptations are actually good for us in modest amounts.\u00a0 I like to cite my late friend Tony O. as a witness in my defense. Tony told me that he had a square of dark chocolate (1\u201d by 1\u201d) every day. Tony died recently at the age of 98\u2014not from the dark chocolate.<\/p>\n

      There are, however, things that we either swallow or otherwise allow into our inner selves that are far darker and much more dangerous than the darkest chocolate.\u00a0 They are the forces from many sources, material or spiritual, that pretend either to be good for us or at least \u201cnot as bad\u201d as what our neighbors are doing…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      1 September 2018<\/p>\n

      Holy Ground
      \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      For some of us the phrase \u201cHoly Ground\u201d doesn\u2019t mean very much.\u00a0 In fact, unless we have visited a church, synagogue, mosque or another place of worship as part of our spiritual journey, it is seldom discussed. There is one exception to that claim.\u00a0 The ground upon which someone is killed in the line of duty, whether a member of our military forces, a law enforcement officer or another first responder, is often sacred.<\/p>\n

      We have only to do a little research to discover some of the poetry from World War I that attests to this.\u00a0 I remembered enough of a poem by John McCrae from the first World War to find his famous poem \u201cIn Flanders Fields.\u201d The first two lines are, \u201cIn Flanders fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses row on row.\u201d\u00a0 Flanders is an area in Belgium that was the site of fierce fighting and death for many men.\u00a0 I am especially moved by pathos in the next quatrain:<\/p>\n

      \u201cWe are the Dead.\u00a0 Short days ago
      \nWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
      \nLoved and were loved, and how we lie,
      \nIn Flanders fields…”<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      31 July 2018<\/p>\n

      A Grief Among Many<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      If I tried to sum up my hopes and my prayers for my recently deceased sister, I could not do it in a few words.\u00a0 Like most of us who grieve over a loved one\u2019s death, I find that I need some help in living with and hopefully, recovering from the pain of a life that was meant to be so much better that it was.\u00a0 Yes, I do pray about my grief.\u00a0 Yes, I do talk and pray with my wife and a few friends about it.\u00a0 However, I believe that grief, like joy over the birth of a healthy baby, is a cause for the community who knew the person to gather to recognize that a life has ended here. \u00a0We gather either in celebration of their life or in grief over the death of the person and probably both.\u00a0 I base my claim on what John Dunn in 1624, \u201cNo (person) is an island.\u201d\u00a0 No one lives and dies without affecting many people.\u00a0 How we live our lives also has a huge bearing on how we believe that life ends and what happens at the point of death.<\/p>\n

      It seems to me that Californians do celebrate life, and we do it well.\u00a0 However, the culture within which Jane and I acquired most of our life values, did not celebrate life all that well.\u00a0 Many people from Northern New England do not feel enough joy to celebrate life.\u00a0 Life has often been too hard for them.\u00a0 Instead, they grieve deeply when yet another person that they cared about dies.\u00a0 So, knowing something of the lifelong suffering that my younger sister underwent (which she only revealed to me after she had divorced both of her abusive husbands), I hesitate to tell anyone that faith is enough to cope with death.<\/p>\n

      For many people it is.\u00a0 However, trusting God to turn even the greatest suffering (especially that of Jesus) into something…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      12 May 2018<\/p>\n

      Mothers and Their Day(s)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      A mother\u2019s love and a mother\u2019s pain
      \nOften mix together again and again.
      \nIt\u2019s not really easy to maintain her inner calm
      \nWhen a child literally calls up feelings that arise in
      \nHerself and in all who disapprovingly watch
      \nReady to criticize whatever she does.<\/p>\n

      Our mothers, yes, our mothers, whether due to lack of experience or energy
      \nMust cope with a child so demanding that nothing short of Divine Intervention
      \nIs worth even a mention in coping with children who enjoy pushing their Mom\u2019s
      \nas far as they can…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      6 March 2018<\/p>\n

      Revisiting a Very Old Discussion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      The wife is speaking to her husband of many years.\u00a0 She asks him, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell me that you love me anymore?\u00a0 The husband\u2019s response is, \u201cI told you that I loved you when I married you, didn\u2019t I?\u201d
      \nShe admitted that he had.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then, if anything had changed, I would have told you.\u201d<\/p>\n

      To men of my age and older, at least in northern New England where we are from, that joke was funny.\u00a0 Notice that I wrote \u201cTO MEN.\u201d\u00a0 It can be quite painful to listen such jokes if you are a girl or a woman.\u00a0 If you really want to know how hurtful it can be for a woman to have to listen and be nice while we men share our brand of humor, ask a few women how they feel after you tell your joke.\u00a0 They just might tell you.\u00a0 We men often ignore the impact of what we say about others.\u00a0 We may try to write it off by saying \u201cOh, we were just kidding,\u201d or else we accuse the woman of being \u201ctoo emotional.”<\/p>\n

      Sadly, there are far too many men like me who grew up hearing this kind of humor at the expense of women.\u00a0 We are not even conscious of how mean we can be.\u00a0 We may spend a lot of time studying the Bible, listening to our pastors, and even working hard on good deeds for our church.\u00a0 That does not make up for our mistreatment of women.\u00a0 Here and throughout the world we still see girls and women who are being used to take care of the household, bear and raise the children and satisfy their husbands sexually even when the women are bone-tired…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      7 February 2018<\/p>\n

      The Beginning of Prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Whenever I read Psalm 8<\/a>, I am reassured by the message that we matter a great deal to God.\u00a0 I am particularly struck by verse 4 where the writer simply marvels at God\u2019s attention to us:\u00a0 \u201cWhat is (humanity) that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?<\/p>\n

      Yet, I am dismayed that we, though loved by God, also live in a world in which people just like us ignore, deny or actively oppose what God calls us to be and to do–namely, loving servants of God. \u00a0We struggle to cope with people who may not recognize that many of us struggle with state(s) of apathy, depression, anxiety or some other burden. \u00a0If we know that we are part of God\u2019s family, we need to remember that we are always loved by God no matter what state of emotion, spirit, mind, body or relationship that we currently experience.<\/p>\n

      Followers of Jesus Christ and that is what we are called to be, need to be vigilant in maintaining our faith in God.\u00a0 The alternative is to watch, or to later be told that someone else watched, as we slowly lost our faith in God. \u00a0Yes, prayer is a way to maintain our faith in God, but how many of us pray about our actual relationship with God?\u00a0 It may be difficult to pray for anything but a list of what we want \u201cfixed.\u201d \u00a0We may be overwhelmed by what is happening to us and around us. \u00a0Still, simply telling God our list or describing our current suffering is not all that we need focus on as we pray.\u00a0 Those are not wasted prayers.<\/p>\n

      However, there are other ways to pray for other reasons than fixing all that is broken in the world…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      8 January 2018<\/p>\n

      Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
      \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      St. Francis of Assisi was a remarkable person of his time (1181-1226), and he still is widely admired.\u00a0 He gave up everything, and I do mean everything, that he owned or had any hope of inheriting from his father to follow God\u2019s call to rebuild God\u2019s Church.\u00a0 Francis lived in poverty rather than allow material possessions to cloud his awareness of what God had called him to do.\u00a0 His name lives on in the order of priests that he founded:\u00a0 the Franciscans.<\/p>\n

      If he had done nothing more than create what we have come to know as the \u201cPrayer of St. Francis,\u201d I would thank God for this remarkable follower of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 I have included his prayer at the end of this blog for each of us to read and to explore how it could help us.\u00a0 I think of it as one way to prepare myself to accept what God wants from me now.\u00a0 If we want to know how healthy our souls are, a question that I discuss regularly, we each first need to examine our own soul.\u00a0 This prayer can help us to do so by causing us to answer the question, \u201cHow close am I to being who God wants me to be and to doing what God wants me to do in each of these areas of my spiritual life?\u201d<\/p>\n

      What I notice about myself is that using this prayer slows me down, and that is not a bad thing.\u00a0 If I try to rush the prayer I begin to feel frustrated.\u00a0 I am in awe of the first petition in this prayer:\u00a0 \u201cLord, make me an instrument of your peace.\u201d\u00a0 Do I really want to be someone whose life is focused on bringing God\u2019s peace into even my little sphere of influence?\u00a0 It\u2019s risky being committed to working for peace.\u00a0 After all, if we work for peace we might upset some people…<\/p>\n

      Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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      <\/h3>\n

      15 December 2017<\/p>\n

      Troublesome Questions at Christmas<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Over 38 years ago as I was asking myself, \u201cWhat am I doing here?\u201d\u00a0 I had just left a well-paying job as a senior engineer at a Fairchild Semiconductor plant in Portland, Maine to go north to Bangor, ME.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 Several people had also wondered.\u00a0 Not far into my first test in Church History 101 the question resurfaced. \u00a0The professor had just interrupted our concentration on the blue-book exam to say, \u201cI don\u2019t want to upset any of you, but look out the window.\u201d\u00a0 It was October 9th, and it was snowing! \u00a0\u00a0In the years to come I discovered the answers to my first question, but it required asking many other questions.<\/p>\n

      I still am searching for answers to some of my questions.\u00a0 Strangely enough some of them come up at major holiday\/Holy Day times like Christmas.\u00a0 For example, here are a few that are not limited to Christmas season, but they are certainly questions for which I do not have glib answers at Christmas:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Why do I have so much when others have so little?<\/li>\n
      2. How can I best help a person or a family in need?<\/li>\n
      3. What am I really celebrating at Christmas?…<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        <\/h3>\n

        24 November 2017<\/p>\n

        A New “Black Friday”
        \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Minutes before starting to write this blog I made a new and sad connection with the term \u201cBlack Friday.\u201d\u00a0 At just before 6 a.m. today (11\/24\/17) the Washington Post reported<\/a> an attack on a mosque in Egypt (in northern Sinai).\u00a0 At that time at least 235 people had been killed.\u00a0 The report indicated that a suicide bomber had detonated his bomb inside a mosque.\u00a0 Others died from gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n

        The murders of Muslim worshipers are deplorable and needs to be condemned by everyone.\u00a0 Even as we pray for the survivors and the families of those who died, a \u201cbrutal response\u201d is promised by Egypt.\u00a0 It is a test of anyone\u2019s faith to have to endure such violence.\u00a0 Where was God in this carnage?\u00a0 Worship of God should be safe whether we are Muslim, Jewish, Christian or any faith group.<\/p>\n

        This is a tragedy in a long line of tragedies in the Middle East.\u00a0 The Washington Post also reported that over 1000 security force members have been killed since 2013 in northern Sinai. \u00a0Every one of those victims, their families and those who were injured or otherwise traumatized needs spiritual care. \u00a0The spiritual damage is impossible to fully appreciate especially for the families of those murdered in the Mosque. There are reports that at least some of the worshipers belong to the Sufi branch of Islam.\u00a0 Sufis are regarded as heretics by some hardliners in Islam.<\/p>\n

        How do we react to this latest act of terrorism and destruction?\u00a0 That is a question for each of us as well as…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        17 October 2017<\/p>\n

        A Morning Meditation on October 16th, 2017<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        What does it mean when we wake up in the morning?\u00a0 I don\u2019t often ask myself that question because I am usually focused on preparing for whatever is ahead of me that day.\u00a0 I am aware that God is with me but only just a little aware.\u00a0 Does that sound strange coming from a retired pastor?<\/p>\n

        Despite all of my training in theology, spirituality and pastoral care, I sometimes find it more difficult to think about God when I first awaken.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t an everyday experience, but it happens often enough to concern me.\u00a0 I wonder if my Parkinson\u2019s disease is slowing down my thinking and my awareness of God.\u00a0 Some days it seems that it is.<\/p>\n

        After breakfast I feel a little more energized, and I look in the book of daily devotions known as Disciplines 2017<\/u> published by The Upper Room.\u00a0 It focuses on the assigned Lectionary readings for the week.\u00a0 I pick up the Bible to begin the search for today\u2019s reading: Exodus 33:12-23<\/a>.\u00a0 In fact, I don\u2019t need to search.\u00a0 The Bible opens, without any conscious effort on my part and with no bookmark, to the exact page of the recommended reading for this day.<\/p>\n

        What is the message about or from God this morning?\u00a0 Of course, the Bible always is about God\u2019s love for humans like us, but it\u2019s also about how we respond to God\u2019s love.\u00a0\u00a0 Today\u2019s reading is about how God loves the people of Israel so much that God promises Moses that God will be with God\u2019s people when they set out again from Mount Sinai…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        13 September 2017<\/p>\n

        CHARITY<\/em> – How Does It Happen?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Charity<\/em>–it\u2019s not always a positive or even a neutral word.\u00a0 Frequently it\u2019s used to describe a kind act–as in an act of charity<\/em>.\u00a0 Usually that means giving or doing something for a person who has a need of some kind.\u00a0 However, the same word can also be used derisively as in \u201cThat person lives off of other people\u2019s charity<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

        The root word that is translated as \u201ccharity\u201d in older Bibles is \u201cagape.\u201d in 1 Corinthians 13<\/a> it expresses a depth of love which centers on the well being of the person whom we love–not on us.\u00a0 This level of love is often needed when helping people who are desperate for help and angry about needing to ask.\u00a0\u00a0 In my experience charity<\/em> often, but not always, involves giving money.\u00a0 However, sometimes money does not go directly to the one asking for help.<\/p>\n

        When I joined a clergy group in Belfast, Maine in 2002 I listened as the pastors of several churches wrestled with the plight that some of their parishioners faced in what was then a time of rapidly rising heating oil prices.\u00a0 Winters in Maine can be bitterly cold, and not having enough money to buy fuel oil can endanger life.<\/p>\n

        Pastors in northern New England usually don\u2019t have very large discretionary accounts.\u00a0 Nor, typically, do they have parishioners who can be called on in an emergency for $250 to $500.00 or more to fill a family\u2019s empty oil tank.\u00a0 So, the group of pastors I met with pooled their limited funds…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        21 August 2017<\/p>\n

        Nothing Should Separate Us From God\u2019s Family
        \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        The Church has not always been either helpful or consistent about one of its bedrock claims.\u00a0 The claim is that God loves each and every person.\u00a0 That\u2019s great news to some and a surprise to others!\u00a0 In reality that isn\u2019t the whole story.\u00a0 Depending on which denomination or independent church we attend there may be many rules, expectations and doctrines that we must accept before we are encouraged to believe that God already loves us–just as we are!<\/p>\n

        I\u2019ve worshiped in churches where the message frequently dwelt on sin.\u00a0\u00a0 Often the sins of the world \u201cout there\u201d were targeted.\u00a0\u00a0 On other occasions the focus seemed to be us \u201cin here\u201d (i.e. in the congregation) as sinners.\u00a0 We learned that our only way to escape the \u201cfires of hell\u201d as the consequence of our sins was to accept that we were helpless.\u00a0 We needed to believe that it was only the blood of Jesus that \u201cwashed away\u201d our sins.\u00a0 Joining some of these churches might not be an option for those who could not affirm these teachings about sin and Jesus.<\/p>\n

        However, sometimes the less conservative or even liberal groups went to the opposite extreme.\u00a0 They were reluctant to talk about the reality of sin and personal accountability.\u00a0 It was as if sin was simply not a concern.\u00a0 Instead, we were challenged to go forth and do good. \u00a0Questions about whether God wanted us to serve God in a particular way were not welcomed.\u00a0 We were expected to believe that if we meant well in whatever way we tried to help people, even though we didn\u2019t pray for guidance first, then God would or should be pleased…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        24 July 2017<\/p>\n

        Addiction: Our Decisions and Their Consequences<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Reading some of our older son\u2019s blogs on addiction and spirituality led me to reread portions of Gerald G. May\u2019s book about both topics.\u00a0 His book was entitled, Addiction and Grace\u2014Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions<\/a>.\u00a0 Gerald May M.D. was a psychiatrist who was also at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.\u00a0 He was a Senior Fellow in Contemplative Theology and Psychology\u201d there.\u00a0 His book builds a very strong case for realizing that addiction to anything (he provides a list of over 150 addictive experiences) affects all of who we are\u2014not just our bodies, minds or our relationships.<\/p>\n

        Dr. May reminds us that addiction has a very profound impact on our spiritual journeys as well.\u00a0 There are few, if any of us, who are so close to God that we can be claim that we are addicted to nothing.\u00a0 It might be an over the counter medication or a prescribed medication.\u00a0 It could just as well be being popular, stress, winning, being in charge, making money, chocolate or always being on time, etc.<\/p>\n

        When I was a child, and until the day he died, my dad was an active alcoholic person.\u00a0 I add the word \u201cperson\u201d because he did not surrender his personhood just because he was overtaken by what I suspect were the numbing effects of alcohol.\u00a0 Of course, he did not<\/u> find it easy to let go of the alcohol.\u00a0 Addiction is a soul wound as severe as trauma, physical and emotional abandonment or being denied the basic respect to which we are all entitled…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        29 June 2017<\/p>\n

        Changing Our Involvement in Ongoing Wars<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Some people ask me how I became a pastor and later a Department of Veterans affairs chaplain.\u00a0 If they know that I was a scientist before becoming a pastor and a chaplain they are really intrigued.\u00a0 I begin by saying \u201cFirst, it\u2019s a long story and you may not have time to listen to it today.\u00a0 Second, the short answer is, \u201cI\u2019ve had a 21-year argument with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Really?\u00a0 Have I truly been struggling with God like Job struggled with his 3 friends and<\/u> with God after he lost everything?\u00a0 Yes, I did struggle with God like Job for a long time.\u00a0 However, I also persisted like Jacob whom God renamed Israel after the all-night struggle with the man.\u00a0\u00a0 By the end of that night, Jacob\u2019s hip was dislocated.\u00a0 However, he also emerged from the struggle with a new name \u201dIsrael.\u201d\u00a0 It means something like, \u201cHe struggles with God.\u201d\u00a0 That was quite a change from being someone better known for his struggles with family.<\/p>\n

        One of the problems that I struggle with is the rapid and sometimes destructive changes that are happening even now with many of our social, moral, ethical, religious and spiritual values. \u00a0I am caught up in in my own need to ask questions not only to find answers to my questions but also ways to encourage each of us to slow down the changes within and around us.\u00a0 We need to ask, \u201cIs this actually good for me and the others who are exposed to yet another change?…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        26 April 2017<\/p>\n

        Letting Go<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Letting go can be difficult\u2014very difficult!<\/u>\u00a0 Movies, plays and other forms both of entertainment as well as news are rife with stories of people who must cope with loss.\u00a0 Sometimes, as in the death of someone we love, it is or at least feels like an experience of total loss of meaning, hope and even safety.\u00a0 At other times the difficulty has more to do with crushed expectations\u2014as when a well-respected student leaves school before graduating or a deeply trusted person does harm to one of our children and we must \u201clet go\u201d of the friendship and protect our children.<\/p>\n

        There are other ways that we experience loss in our day-to-day lives.\u00a0 You know them at least as well as I do because we have lived through these sometimes life-changing events either directly or by watching others endure loss.\u00a0 An innocent 3-year-old child is diagnosed with an incurable disease.\u00a0 One of the parents of four children, all under the age of 7, dies in a car accident leaving the remaining parent to cope with a job, a home, four children and the question of how they can manage day-to-day life much less their grief and their children\u2019s grief.<\/p>\n

        How is it possible to \u201cLet Go\u201d in such complex situations?\u201d\u00a0 It really is not that easy to do so.\u00a0 In fact, retelling the story of our loss over and over again is an important part of \u201cLetting go\u201d of trauma, pain or any loss of control over our bodies, our minds and souls.\u00a0 We may talk about it openly and so frequently that our friends and family lose patience with our continual grieving.\u00a0 Some might even get so annoyed that they tell us to \u201cGet over it!\u201d\u00a0 As you might imagine, that can drive a grieving person into repressing their grief so that they can be more socially acceptable…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        16 March 2017<\/p>\n

        Praying For Our Enemies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Not praying for our enemies benefits no one\u2014absolutely no one! \u00a0Then why don\u2019t we pray for them? \u00a0Perhaps you wonder how I know that we don\u2019t pray for our enemies.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fair question.\u00a0 I don\u2019t<\/u> know\u2014not for certain.\u00a0 However, I do have one consistent observation based on 65+ years of worshiping in many churches in several denominations.\u00a0 I have not, until the last 3-4 months, found anyone who stated during worship that it was important to pray for our enemies. \u00a0Most people, when I\u2019ve asked, do not admit to having an enemy.\u00a0 Those churchgoers who do admit to having an enemy focus on avoiding them.\u00a0 In the worst scenario, however, some are so consumed with a desire for revenge that little else matters.<\/p>\n

        It\u2019s important to be clear about why our \u201cenemies\u201d need our prayers. \u00a0\u00a0Regardless of where they come from, they are not born to be enemies.\u00a0 That is learned behavior.\u00a0 A child learns, both at home and in the world at large, what to fear and who the enemy is.\u00a0 A child\u2019s growing sense of who are the safe people and who are the not safe people to be near can be formed early in life.\u00a0 A simple definition of an enemy is one who is not safe to be near for whatever reason.<\/p>\n

        Once we decide that a person, a group or even an entire nation is not safe to be near, we don\u2019t just walk away.\u00a0 We still are responsible for how we treat the person, group or nation that threatens us.\u00a0 I was taught to fight back at anyone who was an enemy at the age of 9…<\/p>\n

        Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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        16 February 2017<\/p>\n

        Do Not Fear, and Still We Do!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Why are we afraid?\u00a0 Oh, who says that we are all afraid?\u00a0 For that matter, what do I mean when I used the word \u201cFear?\u201d\u00a0 Is it really all that important to discuss in this format (a blog)?\u00a0 Let me answer the questions in the order I asked them.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Why are we afraid? I believe that being afraid is the appropriate when something big enough to eat us is chasing us. \u00a0In other words, it has genuine survival value!\u00a0 I suspect that unless we are straying too close to the cage of some enormous shark, maybe a huge alligator or step into a pond filled with piranha fish we\u2019re not likely to become some creature\u2019s meal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Who says that we are all afraid? Count me in as one of the people who admit that I have experienced fear several times in my life.\u00a0 However, sometimes we get so frightened about our well being, that of someone we love and even that of our nation that we don\u2019t know how to cope.\u00a0 We either cannot or will not believe that the situation if as bad as it is.\u00a0 So we search for a way to cope.\u00a0 One of my favorite ways to cope (I have several) is to either pretend that something awful did not happen or will not happen.\u00a0 On a trip back to Maine 20 years or more ago, I said that I wanted to see a pastoral friend named \u201cRalph.\u201d\u00a0 Jane listened and then sadly reminded me that \u201cRalph\u201d had committed suicide the previous year.\u00a0 I had been too afraid to admit that he suffered that much.\u00a0 I may have felt some guilt or sadness at not being there to help him…<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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            6 January 2017<\/p>\n

            Resolutions & God’s Grace<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            It\u2019s that time of year again. From New Years Day to roughly the end of January many of us make promises that we suspect will not be easy to keep. Still, we make them. Why? There are lots of reasons. Maybe our doctor convinced us to lose weight, exercise more, relax or develop a hobby. We may have decided to be free from an addiction, a dysfunctional relationship or some other burden.<\/p>\n

            How do we know that we won\u2019t have an easy time of it? Well, some of us have been down this road before. We make promises to God, to our spouse, our doctor and to whomever else we trust to hold us accountable for our promises or resolutions. Some of us, however, don\u2019t ask God what God wants from us. As a result we may demand much of ourselves in places where God is not asking us to change. We\u2019re at high risk of failing. Here are a few examples…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            20 December\u00a02016<\/p>\n

            Why Doesn’t Prayer “Work” All the Time?
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            Many of us have grown up with the belief that all we have to do to have whatever we want is to ask God for it in prayer.\u00a0 We may learn this in Sunday School, youth group or worship.\u00a0 Often this amounts to giving a \u201cto do\u201d list to God.\u00a0 We might have read or even memorized, the verse from the Sermon on the Mount that sounds like a proof text for that view.\u00a0 It\u2019s Matthew 7:7:\u00a0 \u201cAsk and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.\u201d\u00a0 Reading further into the New Testament we encounter John 14:22 where Jesus is quoted as saying, \u201cYou may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

            So, what\u2019s the problem?\u00a0 Why doesn\u2019t prayer work all of the time?\u00a0 We need to remember to whom it is that we are presenting our needs and desires.\u00a0 This is not like petitioning a judge, a college admission committee or even the manager of a company from which we need a donation for a charitable cause.\u00a0 We are seeking a response from God.\u00a0 Not to put too fine a point on it, but in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) God is often referred to as \u201cEl Shaddai\u201d which translates as \u201cGod Almighty.\u201d\u00a0 There are lots of other ways of addressing God, but it helps to start with a sense of awe linked with an equally deep sense of humility when we expect the All Mighty God to listen to us!\u00a0 God will listen.\u00a0 We just need to remember that we are a small part of creation, and God is the Creator of all.\u00a0 Otherwise, we won\u2019t be even remotely prepared to pray…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            16 November\u00a02016<\/p>\n

            Peace: What Is It? How Does It Develop?
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            Peace is something that many of us say that we want.\u00a0 We may differ, however, over just what it is.\u00a0 Some of us, thinking on a global scale, imagine peace as the natural result of stopping all wars.\u00a0 Indeed, that would be a huge step towards a healing process.\u00a0 But peace is more than just not killing people whether in foreign countries or on the streets of our own cities.\u00a0 It is far more than an armistice (think November 11, 1918) or other cessations of hostilities (think of the end of our Civil War and of the end of the fighting in Northern Ireland).\u00a0 Was peace the outcome of either of these and many other cessations of fighting?<\/p>\n

            Sometimes we settle for much less than peace when we stop fighting.\u00a0 We leave issues unresolved hoping with time that somehow whatever drove us to fight will go away or be ignored or suppressed.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s a war fought abroad or a struggle within a family, we need to do much more then cease the hostile attacks although that is usually the first or second step.\u00a0 We need an inner healing that enables us to either begin or return to the path to inner peace\u2014that is, peace that we first experience within ourselves as spiritual people and then share.<\/p>\n

            Peace begins when we take time to contemplate what is broken or dysfunctional within us.\u00a0 We may discover that we need to heal from whatever isn\u2019t at peace within us before we can have the energy to develop our own inner peace.\u00a0 Counseling, pastoral care, the encouragement of friends and others who understand our suffering can be invaluable…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            16 October 2016<\/p>\n

            Render Unto Caesar
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            For those of you who may understand the Bible to be an old and almost useless group of stories that can\u2019t possibly deal with 21st century politics, look again! We are seeing some intense struggles for leadership of this nation especially at the top of the ladder of power.<\/p>\n

            Seldom have I seen more obvious examples of how the Bible speaks to 21st century issues than when Jesus addressed the question about whether to pay taxes or not (Matthew 22:15-22<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/span>). When some of the religious leaders of his time asked him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the (Roman) government, he asked for a coin of that government. After inquiring as to whose image and whose title was on the coin, the religious leaders had to admit that it was that of the emperor\u2014Caesar. His reply was simple, direct and obvious once he had answered the question: \u201cGive to the emperor the things that are the emperor\u2019s and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d (Matthew 22:21<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/span>)1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

            This question of taxes is of concern to generations of people. However, the answer given by Jesus raises both religious and moral concerns that go beyond simply paying one\u2019s taxes. Then as now we face troubling concerns about the inappropriate uses of political and personal power. It is, as has become all-too-apparent recently, an issue that transcends our hesitancy to mix politics and religion. It provides reason to wonder how far our government is prepared to go in securing information about individuals. Do we really believe, for example, that it is OK for the government to monitor some worship services?…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            28 September 2016<\/p>\n

            Recovering From Spiritual Abuse – 1
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            As I consider the implications of the title of this message I realize that many of us do not think about spirituality as something that can be abused.\u00a0 Even after we have endured significant suffering because of the person we sought out for spiritual guidance is not capable of helping us to heal. \u00a0We may, even unconsciously, make choices that hinder our spiritual growth.\u00a0 We may remain angry at a church that expected us to believe what we could not believe.<\/p>\n

            We may, indeed, have survived and managed to cope with the rejection that we experienced in that denomination.\u00a0 But how<\/u> are we coping?\u00a0 Are we holding it all in?\u00a0 Are we talking about it so much that hardly anyone is listening?\u00a0 Have some of us turned to substances like alcohol, narcotics, street drugs or food to help us to cope with our problems and not realized the risks we are taking?<\/p>\n

            How ready are we to recover from our spiritual wounds?\u00a0 How committed are we to work together if we\u2019ve been wounded as a congregation?\u00a0 \u201cRecovery\u201d is a term usually associated with substance abuse (i.e. alcohol, narcotics, food, and other drugs).\u00a0 This came to mind as I reread a blog written by our older son almost a month ago.\u00a0 Jim operates a counseling center.\u00a0 He blogs weekly on issues related to recovery from substance abuse…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            7 September 2016<\/p>\n

            What is Truth?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            Many of us remember the question, but we may not remember where we heard or read it.\u00a0 It\u2019s in the Gospel of John (18:38a<\/a>) when Pilate responded to Jesus\u2019 statement \u201cEveryone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.\u201d (v. 38) Of course, we may not accept this definition because it is so dependent on who Jesus is.\u00a0 Truth comes from listening to Jesus.\u00a0 Do we really want to go there?<\/p>\n

            Many of us are satisfied with what we learned about truth as children.\u00a0 We are content to believe Truth means not lying.\u00a0 Not lying, in turn, requires revealing exactly what we know\u2014no more and certainly no less. It also includes not making up stories about things that never happened.<\/p>\n

            As we get older we learn that \u201ctelling the truth\u201d includes revealing whatever helps others to understand the true situation even when we are not directly asked about it.\u00a0 In courtrooms witnesses are asked if they will \u201ctell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.\u201d We have politicians, among many other groups, who struggle to live by even the simplest requirements of telling the truth…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            18 August 2016<\/p>\n

            Internal Disarmament<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            By the time you read this blog two months will have gone by since the Dalai Lama addressed the California State Legislature. \u00a0He spoke simply, clearly and to the point.\u00a0 I am still stunned by one of his observations.\u00a0 As he addressed several issues that are important to our nation he turned to gun control.\u00a0 He expressed a belief that may be difficult for many of us to accept.<\/p>\n

            When I did an Internet search on the Dalai Lama\u2019s speeches, I found his \u201cMessage for the New Millennium<\/a>.\u201d He noted there, and to the California Legislature, that violence is a major problem for the world.\u00a0 We can probably all agree on that. However, he identified an aspect of violence that we may not all agree on.\u00a0 He wrote, \u201cIn order to make non-violence a reality we must first work on internal disarmament and then proceed to work on external disarmament.
            \nBy internal disarmament he did not mean that a country should get rid of all of its weapons in one dramatic sign of its desire for world peace.\u00a0 He meant ridding ourselves as persons of all the negative emotions that result in violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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            3 August 2016<\/p>\n

            Living Simply<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            There is a saying attributed to a group of Christians known as \u201cMennonites\u201d that is startling in its implications.\u00a0 It is, \u201cLive simply so that others may simply live.\u201d\u00a0 If taken seriously by a large number of us it could change the way our economy and even our government at all levels function.\u00a0\u00a0 Many of us would stop worrying about the latest move by the Federal Reserve Banking system as it affects the dwindling interest on our savings.\u00a0 We would not obsess over the latest clothing styles just to keep us with some designer\u2019s idea of what we should wear.\u00a0 We might even give up hope of ever saving enough to live as well in retirement as we did when we were employed.\u00a0 Instead, we would pay more attention to knowing and helping to meet the needs of our neighbors now.<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            18 July 2016<\/p>\n

            Control \u2013 Who Has It & Who Doesn\u2019t?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            Given recent events (i.e. June-July 2016) it is worth asking, \u201cWho really is in control?\u201d\u00a0 You might want to ask, \u201cControl of what?\u201d\u00a0 That is a fair question, and the answer at first seems to be quite simple:\u00a0 \u201cAnything!\u201d<\/p>\n

            Almost anywhere I look there is a problem of control.\u00a0 Sometimes it is visible in a relationship.\u00a0 One person gets his or her way in so many social and private situations that observers realize, even if the two people don\u2019t, that one of the two is more in charge of what happens than the other.\u00a0 Sometimes it is happening in what is supposed to be a loving relationship.\u00a0 Others times relationships are more superficial and are based on providing a service, such as an employee and an employer.\u00a0 We see control issues played out in every kind of relationship from spousal abuse and child abuse to those who betray the trust of their students or their employers.\u00a0 We also have noticed it in the ongoing reality that women with skills and knowledge equivalent to men are paid significantly less and have less access to the top corporate jobs than men…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            6 July 2016<\/p>\n

            Spirituality Amongst the Suffering
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            For over three decades there has been an ongoing struggle between those who follow the teachings of their religion and those who find religion to be either irrelevant or an actual obstacle to spiritual growth.\u00a0 Religious people often don\u2019t understand those who walk a spiritual path.\u00a0 Those who walk a spiritual path have often given up on religion.\u00a0 I have walked both paths, and I still do.<\/p>\n

            It\u2019s when I try to reconcile my personal spiritual path with either some of the teachings or the misadventures of the Christian Church as a whole that I encounter problems.\u00a0 I feel cut off from people who keep their religion walled off in their house of worship and refuse to engage the world.\u00a0 Then there are those of us who would rather work hours or even days on a project that helps somebody than sit quietly for 5-10 minutes twice a day to listen to what God or our Higher Power is saying to us.\u00a0 It is not an either\/or position.\u00a0 We can do both.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need to limit our search for God to either a specific religion or a particular approach to spirituality…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            19 June 2016<\/p>\n

            Living By the Sword<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            At the end of a worship service that I had led a person asked me, \u201cHow do I love a \u201c________\u201d?\u00a0 She named people who belong to a very specific non-Christian religion.\u00a0 I was stunned for a moment since we were both Christian believers.\u00a0 It was clear that she was embarrassed at having to ask the question.\u00a0 It was equally clear that she was afraid of anyone who belonged to that non-Christian faith group.\u00a0 She was clearly defensive, but she trusted me enough to at least ask her question.<\/p>\n

            How do we get so frightened of people we don\u2019t know who have not threatened to harm us?\u00a0 Why do we not know how to love all of God\u2019s people including those we perceive to be different from us?\u00a0 Of course, the obvious answer is that we divide all of humanity into either \u201cUs\u201d or \u201cThem.\u201d\u00a0 We trust those who are like \u201cUs\u201d and fear \u201cThem.\u201d\u00a0 Still, as a Christian pastor I was shocked that this division had reached so deeply into her.<\/p>\n

            However, it was hardly the first time that I had seen Christians do this…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            2 June 2016<\/p>\n

            How Do We Love the People We Fear?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            At the end of a worship service that I had led a person asked me, \u201cHow do I love a \u201c________\u201d?\u00a0 She named people who belong to a very specific non-Christian religion.\u00a0 I was stunned for a moment since we were both Christian believers.\u00a0 It was clear that she was embarrassed at having to ask the question.\u00a0 It was equally clear that she was afraid of anyone who belonged to that non-Christian faith group.\u00a0 She was clearly defensive, but she trusted me enough to at least ask her question.<\/p>\n

            How do we get so frightened of people we don\u2019t know who have not threatened to harm us?\u00a0 Why do we not know how to love all of God\u2019s people including those we perceive to be different from us?\u00a0 Of course, the obvious answer is that we divide all of humanity into either \u201cUs\u201d or \u201cThem.\u201d\u00a0 We trust those who are like \u201cUs\u201d and fear \u201cThem.\u201d\u00a0 Still, as a Christian pastor I was shocked that this division had reached so deeply into her.<\/p>\n

            However, it was hardly the first time that I had seen Christians do this…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            \u00a0_____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            17 May 2016<\/p>\n

            God’s Opinion – part 1
            \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Quite a number of my former parishioners liked the image of church as a \u201cFilling station”.\u00a0 They saw it as a place to come and be \u201cfilled,\u201d as if we were cars.\u00a0 They were not trying to avoid God.\u00a0 It was quite the opposite!\u00a0 They wanted to get just close enough to God to get \u201cfilled\u201d with whatever they needed to cope with the world until next Sunday.<\/p>\n

            What they did not want was for the preacher to make life more complicated.\u00a0 One of the ways that some of us preachers make like complicated is when we try to help people recognize that God has an opinion about everything.<\/p>\n

            Maybe you want to remind me that God does not have opinions.\u00a0 God has the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20<\/a> & Deuteronomy 5<\/a>)
            \nto guide our behavior.\u00a0 As long as we follow those we will be good Christians.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that true?\u00a0 No, actually, it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 It is more than possible to faithfully live by the Ten Commandments and not be a Christian…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            2 May 2016<\/p>\n

            \n

            God and Women – part 1
            \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Perhaps it wouldn\u2019t happen in our homes.\u00a0 It probably wouldn\u2019t happen while we are outside working on our gardens or while shopping.\u00a0 However, it might happen in church that someone would ask us, \u201cWhat does the Bible say about the equality of men and women?\u201d<\/p>\n

            How would we answer?\u00a0 It might be tempting for us to give them a simple answer such as \u201cGod loves everyone.\u00a0 Therefore, God loves women and girls as much as men and boys.\u201d\u00a0 That might be enough to satisfy the questioner.<\/p>\n

            However, it\u2019s not enough to answer the question and assume that is the end of the matter…<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

            18 April 2016<\/p>\n

            \n

            Coping in an Unsafe World<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            The world is not safe.\u00a0 We already know that.\u00a0 We are vulnerable to everything from car accidents, home invasions and fraud to human trafficking and war.\u00a0 Every day we face problems that we or others created.<\/p>\n

            Some years ago I was consulting with a psychiatrist who was a colleague at the VA hospital.\u00a0 I made some comment about a patient who tended to use denial to avoid facing whatever he didn\u2019t want to face.\u00a0 \u201cJerry\u201d replied, \u201cWe all live in a state of denial.\u00a0 If we didn\u2019t, we wouldn\u2019t get out of bed in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

            Jerry was right.\u00a0 Nobody gets out of bed thinking that a tree might fall onto the house where he or she lives.\u00a0 Nor do we wake up thinking \u201cThis might be the day that I get a diagnosis of an untreatable disease.\u201d\u00a0 Even less likely are we to awaken wondering whether a terrorist will set off a nuclear weapon in our city.<\/p>\n

            Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            31 March 2016<\/p>\n

            \n

            \u00a0Reflections on Darkness and Light Following Easter<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            In a world where many ordinary people work hard to serve God daily, there are also terrorists, street gangs, rebels and even nations that focus on agendas that have little to do with God\u2019s plans. \u00a0Given the opportunity to seize power they justify the use of many harsh tools to punish, to dominate or to destroy.\u00a0 Kidnapping, torture, targeted killing, denial of basic rights to women and others are favored tools for everything from a small cell of terrorists to some nations.<\/p>\n

            I know that I should be much optimistic since I write this just a few days after Easter\u2014the most important day of the Christian year. \u00a0Holy Week and Easter are reminders of God\u2019s ongoing love for everyone.\u00a0 Yet, somehow it\u2019s not enough for many of us. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            18 March 2016<\/p>\n

            \n

            Evidence of a Christian Life
            \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Recently one of our better-known candidates for president declared that he is a Christian. It didn\u2019t take long for his critics to question the accuracy of his self-portrayal. Among those who objected to his claim to follow Jesus were those who pointed to specific examples of the candidate\u2019s behavior, which they viewed as inconsistent with living as Jesus called his followers to live.<\/p>\n

            Before jumping into a fray like this one, it\u2019s probably more useful to look at our own lives. We need to ask ourselves and our pastors, \u201cWhat does a Christian lifestyle look like?\u201d Another way to ask the question is this: \u201cIf you (or I) were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us?\u201d I\u2019ve wrestled with this question for a long time.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

            2 March 2016<\/p>\n

            Don\u2019t Worry!<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            I take the Bible very seriously as I try to understand how God is at work especially in stressful situations. I rely on the guidance of Christian Scriptures to help me understand my search for meaning, purpose and direction in my life. On the other hand, I sometimes run up against verses or whole chapters in the Bible that just don\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n

            One of my ongoing struggles with the Bible is in the Gospel of Luke. In chapter 12 from verses 22 to 34<\/a>.\u00a0 It can be summarized as \u201cDon\u2019t worry\u201d or \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid.\u201d Do you remember when Bobbie McFerrin had a hit song entitled \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Be Happy<\/a>?\u201d (Released in 1988)\u00a0 I remember liking the music and being very critical of the message.\u00a0 I knew at some level that I wasn\u2019t going to be happy if I didn\u2019t deal with my worrying.<\/p>\n

            How is it possible to \u201cnot worry\u201d in the modern world?…\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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            18 February 2016<\/p>\n

            While We Are Preparing For Easter
            \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Imagine that instead of giving something up for Lent we decide to take on a new way to serve God\u2019s people or to raise a question about God for which we have no clear answer. Well, that\u2019s what I did. I took on a question for self-study this Lent that I have not been able to make complete sense of for at least the last 36 years. \u201cWhat does Jesus and all those who translate and otherwise communicate God\u2019s Word to us mean when they refer to the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20<\/a>) or the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 6:20<\/a>)?\u201d<\/p>\n

            To some of us it may seem like an easy question. We might respond that the \u201ckingdom of God\u201d or perhaps even the \u201ckingdom of heaven\u201d is wherever God is. Yes, I agree. More importantly, the previous spiritual leader of over a billion of our sisters and brothers in Christ, Pope John Paul II, announced this as his understanding of heaven several years ago.<\/p>\n

            I would have been happy to stop with his answer…\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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            12 February 2016<\/p>\n

            Lent is Upon Us!
            \n<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Once again the Lenten season is upon us. Knowing that I am a Christian you might wonder what I am \u201cgiving up\u201d for Lent. It\u2019s an appropriate question, but first I want to ask, \u201cWhy do need to give up anything?\u201d What is the point of giving up something that we enjoy, are dependent upon or even addicted to if we are just going to resume this experience on Easter Sunday?<\/p>\n

            As Pastor Kathi (Campbell UMC) pointed out in Sunday\u2019s \u201cLent 2016\u201d bulletin insert<\/a> (2\/7\/16), \u201cfasting is only a spiritual practice if it brings you closer to God; otherwise it\u2019s a diet<\/em>.\u201d \u201cFasting\u201d can, depending on how we define the word, can include everything from a total fast once a week to \u201cfasting\u201d from one\u2019s favorite beverage, food or dessert.<\/p>\n

            When I was a child I sometimes considered \u201cgiving up\u201d candy for Lent. It was supposed to be good preparation for the events of Holy Week…\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            25 January 2016<\/p>\n

            A Closer Walk With God<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            Most people whom I\u2019ve met in church seem to have some clarity about what they believe about God, the two great commandments (Love God . . . and love your neighbor as yourself), faith, hope, love, sin, forgiveness, worship and the Bible. We aren\u2019t always happy about what we believe, but we have some idea of what being a Christian person in the 21st century is about.<\/p>\n

            There are, however, some of us who feel like there must be more to being on a spiritual journey than what we already know and do. In my experience, there is. Along with what we believe and then do, we also have reason to ask how this all relates to God\u2019s presence in our lives.<\/p>\n

            Yes, I know that we are tempted to do as much as we can to help others…\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

            _____________________________________<\/h3>\n

            11 January 2016<\/p>\n

            Forgive Us?<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

            To the modern mind the Bible seems out of date. Some may have decided that it is even irrelevant to the \u201cpursuit of happiness.\u201d At the risk of sounding like I am completely out of touch with modern reality, I encourage you to use the Lord\u2019s Prayer daily if not several times a day. It is a remarkable, Biblically based if sometimes troubling prayer.<\/p>\n

            Troubling? Why should a prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples that has survived for nearly 20 centuries be troubling? Well, there is more than one answer to that question…\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

            Save<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            _____________________________________ 5 October 2022\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21963,"parent":904,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4994","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6VbcX-1iy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":904,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":0},"title":"Get Inspired","author":"cumcadmin","date":"March 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Midweek Message - 22 April 2026 Dear Campbell UMC Family & Friends - I pray you are well. Eastertide: A Way of Living We continue our sojourn through Eastertide\u2014a season that reminds us that Easter is more than just a day. Easter is an orientation. It is a way of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Inspiration_LifeBeginsEndComfortZone.jpg?fit=600%2C398&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Inspiration_LifeBeginsEndComfortZone.jpg?fit=600%2C398&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Inspiration_LifeBeginsEndComfortZone.jpg?fit=600%2C398&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6589,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/worship\/worship-at-work-fifth-sundays-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":1},"title":"Worship at Work: Fifth Sundays","author":"rkohlin","date":"June 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Worship at Work in the World! \u00a0\u00a0 Four times each year, there is a fifth Sunday of the month.\u00a0 In 2016, we tried something new.\u00a0 Such a resounding success it was, that we will continue our Fifth Sunday \"Worship at Work\" events.\u00a0 (We call it that because we worship while\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/StopHungerNowLogo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6473,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/50-unlimited-activities\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":2},"title":"Active Seniors: Activities","author":"rkohlin","date":"September 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This group is currently on hiatus... No events scheduled at this time... _________________________________________________________ Examples of Previous Events: Annual San Francisco Walking Tour On Friday, September 14, 2018\u00a0we will take a walking tour in the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park, carpooling from the church at\u00a09:15am.\u00a0\u00a0One of the San Francisco\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SFWalkingTour.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SFWalkingTour.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SFWalkingTour.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5689,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/worship\/sermons\/sermons-archive\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":3},"title":"Sermons Archive","author":"rkohlin","date":"February 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Previous Sermons & Worship Series: The Journey ...\u00a0 \u00a0 ~ Worship Series for Advent & Christmas ~ This Advent season, we invite you to journey with us as we travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in this fascinating look at the birth of Jesus. \u00a0Using historical information, archaeological data, and personal\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/20181202_The-Journey-300x116.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":793,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/about\/cumc-vision\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":4},"title":"The Vision of Campbell UMC","author":"cumcadmin","date":"January 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here\u2019s what we believe:\u00a0\u00a0That how we live matters more than what we believe. Here\u2019s what we value:\u00a0\u00a0Inclusion, curiosity, creativity, generosity, our own constant transformation. The wisdom that comes from questions, thoughtful conversation, and prayer. Here\u2019s what we do:\u00a0 We come together to tell the stories of our faith, to learn\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1381,"url":"https:\/\/www.campbellunited.org\/web\/about\/weddings\/","url_meta":{"origin":4994,"position":5},"title":"Weddings","author":"cumcadmin","date":"May 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In the United Methodist Church, marriage is not a sacrament, but it is a sacred covenant. The wedding ceremony is treated as a holy moment, in which two persons are united in marriage before God, their families and friends. 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