ADVENT - Part 1

 Tomorrow we begin another Advent Season! A season of wait and anticipation. 

                                              A - Anticipation

        We begin another season of anticipation. A season of waiting, a season of looking to what may be right around the corner. For those who have found faith, this waiting time comes every year! This time when the seasons change, the leaves fall to the ground and the weather shows how each person needs change to bring forth a fresh new awakening!

                                                        D - Devotion

        This time of Advent we can begin to find time for devotion and reflection. A time to bring our spiritual being into focus and rightness with the Creator of all things! This time of devotion can look different for everyone. A walk along the shoreline, a trail path in the mountains, a sidewalk in a busy city. Let the God of Lights enlighten your heart, let Him be revelation to the thoughts in your mind, heart and soul and, a new revelation be received!                                                     

 

                                                         

                                                        V - Vision

                                                        E - Eternal

                                                        N - Navigate

                                                        T - Tradition

A New Porch

 Today, I return to "the porch"! 

It is new! 

In it's newness, you will see similarities from the previous porch and a fresh new environment outside. 

It is hard to comprehend that the years just seem to pass by without much of a notice; yet a porch is still always a place to sit and ponder, a place to reflect. 

                                        A place to call home!

A new porch, where I can sit and feel the warmth of the suns rays each morning coming through the windows, and the cool breezes in the evening.  

The porch which protects those who sit from the elements of rain, wind, and unwanted creatures!😀

Now that we have begun our time once again, let us think of these things! 

 

                                        It is 2021!

The new porch has become a place to ponder the world and the state in which it is in. The new porch is a place to lift my voice in contemplation and meditation to the Creator of all things.

Ah!, The new porch brings forth a sense of comfort and familiarity to a place of newness and change.

The new porch, a place of prayer!

Changing Times

I am not sure about you, but chnaging of the clocks either forward or back causes disruption with our own internal time clock.

For me it takes a few days to realize that it will be dark out when I need to be getting up in the monring.

HOW ABOUT YOU?  

Then when we turn the clocks back in the fall, it becomes dark so early in the evening!

I was wondering about how this could be related to our walk with God?  

Could our walk with God be affected so easily, that when the slightest change in life, we become dark and tired.

Changing times have been happening throughout church history, there have been very dark times, such as the Crusades and religious persecution in the early years of our nation's birth.  There were times of great awakenings; the 1st and 2nd great awakenings, where we saw the move of God and where it was felt around the world. Many people think that there will be new other great awakenings in our world, that God will not leave us stagnite!

Changing times can also mean a new way of looking at the church we have been attending since our childhood, but now it might look very different.  Some church have beautiful stained glass windows, where the sunshines beautifully through them; another church may be ultra modern with huge screens darkened rooms and very loud music. Some churches remain small and some explode and grow.

Changing times, one thing I do know is that God never changes, that God will remain constent in our lives. Let us let God do God's work through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

So here is the question for this week?

Where are you on the spectrum of change, are you willing to remain small or are you willing to grow and change with the times?

Veterans Day

I have always thought that Veterans Day was a big deal. You see my father was a WWII veteran. He kept a journal  in his boot when he was traveling to and from North Africa transporting POW's to the US.  It was fascinating to read his short accounts, however it was heartbreaking too. The fear and sadness at the loss of comrades and friends in time of battle.

Veterans Day means so much more to me today, as my oldest son is now a veteran of 2 deployments. He has witnessed the tragedy of war and the pain which it brings to families and friends.

Veterans Day is a day of thank you in our house. Thank you to all my family who has served, thank you to all the service men and women who have answered the call to serve this country.

This psalm reflects my heart felt thoughts for each and every veteran today:

Psalm 91

1 

"He who takes refuge in the shelter of the Most High

    will be safe in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 

He will say to the Eternal, “My shelter, my mighty fortress,

    my God, I place all my trust in You.”

3 

For He will rescue you from the snares set by your enemies who entrap you

    and from deadly plagues.

4 

Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers,

    will protect you under His great wings;

    His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.

5 

You will not dread the terrors that haunt the night

    or enemy arrows that fly in the day

6 

Or the plagues that lurk in darkness

    or the disasters that wreak havoc at noon.

7 

A thousand may fall on your left,

    ten thousand may die on your right,

    but these horrors won’t come near you.

8 

Only your eyes will witness

    the punishment that awaits the evil,

    but you will not suffer because of it.

9 

For you made the Eternal [your][a] refuge,

    the Most High your only home.

10 

No evil will come to you;

    plagues will be turned away at your door.

11 

He will command His heavenly messengers to guard you,

    to keep you safe in every way.

12 

They will hold you up in their hands

    so that you will not crash, or fall, or even graze your foot on a stone.[b]

13 

You will walk on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the lion and the serpent underfoot.

14 

“Because he clings to Me in love,

    I will rescue him from harm;

    I will set him above danger.

Because he has known Me by name,

15 

He will call on Me, and I will answer.

    I’ll be with him through hard times;

    I’ll rescue him and grant him honor.

16 

I’ll reward him with many good years on this earth

    and let him witness My salvation.”

The Voice Translation

Whom Shall You Serve

Joshua 24: 14-24

Joshua was a the man that would follow Moses and lead the people of Israel.  He learned from Moses the commands and the ways of God.

God began to teach Joshua about what it takes to be a servant of the most High King.  In chapter 24 we learn that we can serve no one greater than God our creator.

                    vs. 14 "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness..." Vs 15 says "But if serving the Lords seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." 

Joshua is telling us we can choose whomever we want to serve. BUT he is sharing with the people of Israel, he is going to serve only GOD.

So let me ask you today!!!!!

            WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

All Saints Day

Today we celebrate those people that have gone before us in the faith of our churches.  Many people today in mainline churches celebrate this day as a remembrance of those that have died.

Let us reflect today on their story, their journey in life with God.  

I remember growing up in church with my parents who were faithful attenders on Sunday mornings. My mom had us there each week and all Holy Days as well. In her tradition, the Holy Mass was vital to her growth as a Christian.  My dad was less regular, but wanted his children to grow up in the church.

Now that I am older and maybe somewhat wiser, I realize the importance of those memories and the relationship I would now have with the church and God. As a UMC clergy, I know that God is vitally important in my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. 

I have learned the importance of telling our faith story to the next generation of church attenders and followers of Christ.  If we do not share our story with others, how are they going to learn the ways of God and the church.

So as we remember today, friends and family alike, let us never forget the importance that God has on each person's life.

Thank you to all those who touched my life in the ways of God and his teachings!

   

Taking Time to Rest

Many times we do not take the time to rest and rejuvenate our hearts, bodies and souls. We are so busy in our culture today that rest is a forgotten necessity of life. As new parents, we go without sleep sometimes for a few days if our child is sick or cranky. When we grow into our teen years, we just keep going from one activity to the next, not thinking about the fact that our physical body needs to rest and regain its' strength.  One time I took one of our boys to the Dr because of some sort of illness and the very wise physician we had at the time told me to let the boy sleep! Sleep all day if he needs to, he is growing so fast his body can't keep with itself. Then, we become young adults in a new career and we continue to burn both candles at the ends. We work 50-80 hours per week. 

Some times I think about our churches. We might find ourselves doing the same thing in our places of worship. We have so many things offered to the likings of so many diverse ideas and ministries, that we forget to rest in the Spirit of the living God. To truly find God's presence during our time of worship, to rejuvenate our souls!

    What about rest, God taught us from the very beginning of time that even the Divine Creator of the Universe rested. 

    Gen. 2:2 "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work." (NLT)

    Jesus found himself needing rest. Many times he would go off by himself, leave his disciples and spend time  in the place he found rest and peace. Many times Jesus would find this rest in the Mount of Olives. Can you picture it? Sitting amongst the beauty of the olive grove, the smell of the Mediterranean Sea and the olives themselves. Jesus knew enough to do something for himself, to find a quiet place to rest, to rejuvenate with his heavenly Father.

    We are no different. As humans we need to find rest, and as followers of Christ we need rest! The kind of rest that only comes from the power of the Holy Spirit which brings forth healing. Healing, so that we may continue on the journey that God has placed us on; as we walk together on the planet sharing the love and grace freely given to us by our Creator.  Jesus gave so much of himself that when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed and drops of sweat blood came from him.

   Luke 22:44 "He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood." (NLT)

    My encouragement for you today is this; find that sweet place, those few moments during your day, that week of rest and vacation, and rest, body soul and spirit. We need to be ready to come into a place of regular rest so that we can continue on this journey of life sharing the great commission with those around us. 

   Matthew 28:18-20 "Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (NLT)