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- Is God in My Pumpkin? - Is God in My Pumpkin? Stan Ott is a long-time Presbyterian pastor. Years ago, I attended a conference where Stan was one of the speakers, he told a little story about a time, during the Halloween season, when his three-year-old daughter interrupted his early morning meditation time. He invited his daughter onto his lap, and explained to her that she would need to be quiet, but she could talk to God if she liked. The child remained in thoughtful silence for a time, then whispered, "Is God here?” Yes, Stan replied, God is here. Then after a period of silence, she whispered, “Is God everywhere?” Yes, God is everywhere. Another a period of silence, then she whispered again, “Is God in my pumpkin”. How about you? With all the blessings that God provides, where is God in all you do? Is God in your pumpkin? Continue reading
- Is Talking with God, Prayer? - Is Talking with God Prayer? Nearly every morning, in the early hours, I sit in my “prayer chair”, my coffee cup full, my simple thank you, Lord, on my lips, and I begin my time with God. In my prayerful imagination, I see the creator of everything sitting across from me, and I talk to him as I would talk to a friend. Sometime during this sacred time I begin to truly know that this is the Day the Lord has made, my meeting with him was not a chance occurrence. He reassured me that he is present with me whether I feel it or not. Continue reading
- Prayer - Prayer: What is prayer? Think about that. Do we turn to prayer as a last resort? Do we pray only when circumstances are crushing us down? Or do you pray about nearly everything in your life? Do you think we treat praying during the course of a worship service as serious? Often it feels like the Lord’s Prayer is something we simply recite because we have it committed to memory. Before the pandemic, we used to hold hands. I don't think that's necessary, but I do see prayer as both communal, a shared fellowship communication with God, and as personal, a private, interaction between me and my Creator God. Continue reading
- Prayer Is Absurd! - Prayer Is Absurd! Oswald Chambers in one of his recent devotionals tells us that we have to know that prayer is foolish from the common sense, human point of view. We can’t prove it has any real purpose, nor can we prove that prayer had any direct impact when gauged by human thought. It is only through our faith and belief that we trust in the importance of prayer. When we are told by Jesus to go and make disciples, the meaning is clear; we are to go and live our lives according to his commands. We can only do that when we keep close communication with God through prayer. I believe we are underestimate the power of prayer. Continue reading
- Chasing the Wind - Chasing the Wind: The Ecclesiastes passage is a bit depressing, until you get to the clincher at the end. And, I suppose, we could look at some things in our lives that have been pretty much drudgery, i.e., a chasing after the wind. That would include down times, those times when things were not going our way, when all of life seemed to be an uphill climb. I think if we were being totally honest with ourselves we could look back on our lives and realize that the joy that we remember was all part of the journey. It wasn’t so much the rewards, the material things, it was the joy that came with the gifts God has given. Continue reading
- ‘oft gang agley… - ‘oft gang agley…: In Robert Burns' prose, he makes this interesting Gaelic observation: "The best laid schemes of mice o’ men ‘gang oft agley’." I think many of our best laid plans ‘oft gang agley’, not quite the way we wanted them, but the way God redirected the events of our lives. Is it ever too late to follow a thought, an inspiration, a dream? How about those ideas that are thrust before your eyes from unexpected places, or even from expected, but surprising places? Then along comes the whispered voice of my faith and asks a question that throws me off: What does it mean to obey God? Continue reading
- New Normal? - New Normal? The Lord speaks to us: Today I want you to take a deep breath and consider a better way. My Word will give you the answers you need. Realize that a spirit of quietness and confidence only comes when you stop and focus on Me. A New Normal? Too often that phrase seems to apply to things changing in your life from good to bad. Sometimes that ‘New Normal’ is a choice, a decision that one makes because of something or someone has entered our lives. Be honest, we may call it a 'new normal' but the reality is that we are in a constant state of change and it isn't all bad. Maybe our ability to appreciate little things is clearer as we age, value friendships more, or, as the song says, we love deeper. Somewhere in our personal sphere we realize that God is doing a good work in you and me. Continue reading
- Go Fish! - Go Fish! Our faith journeys are many and varied, but each one is led by that Holy Spirit. Yesterday we considered the walk that Mark followed to discipleship. Today, let’s consider the journey followed by others that helped transform God’s Will into our own path to belief. For the two pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew, James and John, as well as Levi, the invitation to come follow was a life-changing invitation. You and I have similar stories. Oh sure, the times may be different, the names have changed (to protect the innocent?), but the story is the same. We are transformed, we are changed because of this Man, this God-Man. Continue reading
- At Jesus Feet - At Jesus Feet: How did that process begin that brought you to where you are now in your belief? What event, or person touched you so deeply that you were changed. That you were transformed from maybe a good person into a blessed person? Perhaps it took adversity, a crisis, or as a friend once told me, it took a heart attack and in a ride in an ambulance to open his eyes to the presence of Jesus in his life. The transformation that each one of us has gone through, is unique to us. Continue reading
- God’s Gifts – Our Hands - God's Gifts -- Our Hands: Think about about all the gifts and talents given to each of us. Beneath this shell of hard-headedness, stubbornness, self-importance, low self-esteem, etc., waits the angel of our worth. God's gifts to us is part of His plan to carry us into the world and make us participants in life. The uncovering of these graces is one of the most important tasks confronting us. When we talk about being ourselves, that is being the person we are intended by God to be, we are talking about gifts. We cannot be ourselves unless we are true to the gifts and graces that flow to us from His hands. Continue reading
- God’s Peace - God's Peace: Our human fears don't stand a chance when encompassed by God's Peace. God's peace contains no trace of our earth-bound fears. We are humans, we all experience fear in some form or another. We read about the event during Pentecost in the temple in Jerusalem. There was a fearful, violent wind and tongues of fire. All that would be fearful enough, but then each one was filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s purpose, God’s plan. They experienced God's Peace, along with spiritual confidence and boldness, to speak out and praise Him. God's Peace contains no human fear. Continue reading
- Once the Storm Is Over - Once the Storm Is Over: And Jesus asks us, “Why are you afraid?” and we have no answer because, in our fragile-faith lives, we think it is obvious why we are afraid. As if to reinforce that thought, we look around us and, sure enough, there it is, cause to be afraid. But Jesus said something else. Were we listening? Did we hear? He spoke to our storm, to our wind, and waves and fears. "Peace, be still and know that I am God." And “there was a great calm.” Continue reading
- Moments of Surrender - Moments of Surrender: In the Ephesian passage; have you ever thought about the fact that we have been saved through faith, and faith is not from ourselves, but is a gift of God? Sometimes we may think of our faith as a decision that we made, but faith is a grace from God. The conscious decision we made for Jesus, whether in an altar call, or the still of the night, or evolving from circumstances in our lives, simply opened us to God’s gift, which we call faith. Paul uses the term ‘authority’, while we might use ‘witness’ or ‘sharing our belief’ or other terminology, i.e. “making disciples”. In those moments of surrender or commitment to Jesus, we “give it all to Him”, then, too often, the slide begins, followed by the confession: Forgive us Heavenly Father when, in the living of our lives, we go sideways to your will. When in our own self-interest, we act contrary to who You would have us be. Help us Lord, to get beyond the fact that who we are too often collides with the words that we speak, or the profession of love for you that we share with others, too often with pride. Amen. Continue reading
- Spiritual Balance - Spiritual Balance: Apostle Paul’s admonishment to pray without ceasing, which we conclude is an ongoing conversation with God throughout our daily lives. Joyce Meyer wrote that we have to have balance in our life, balance between our spiritual life, which encompasses time that we spend in prayer, in devotional reading, and so forth, and our earthly responsibilities, and challenges. Maybe instead of praying without ceasing, we should be in constant fellowship with God at all times, in all ways. Continue reading
- Roads - Roads We have all driven on interesting roads. There is one in Arizona, Route 89A, Oak Creek Canyon scenic drive, which is one of the most beautiful and scary roads in the US. Approximately 24 miles between Flagstaff and Sedona, a change in elevation of 4,500 feet! That doesn’t quite tell the story. Most of that change in elevation is in the first 19 miles. If you do the math, the grade is STEEP and CURVY! Then there is another road, nearly as steep, but far more rugged, and even more dangerous. A road that Jesus trod that ended, days later, on Calvary’s Cross. Jericho Road, 17 miles of twists and turns. Your safe zone on this dangerous road would be Wadi Qelt, pronounced ‘Wadee Kelt’, a large cavity carved in the face of the valley wall by the Qelt Stream, spacious with a fresh water spring. Continue reading
- Follow Me – Part 2 - Follow Me - Part 2: The parable continues: Now, it was much later in the afternoon, the children returned to their father, and my Master had died on the cross. I watched as the two Pharisees, the ones that were so sad, stepped up, took the body of my Master away, and placed it in a tomb. I could not understand all this. Just yesterday the Master told us to be at peace, and now all of this, and he is dead and buried and I am lost, but strangely at peace? How can that be? And the voice said, “Follow Me”. Follow? Who? The one I followed is gone. There was the mother of my Master, in the midst of grieving, angry, upset people, bringing a different message; smiling, reassuring, and saying “Remember who He is and what He told us, just days ago, to be at peace.” And in the remembering, I heard again the voice saying, “Follow Me”, and I knew I had found God’s Peace. Continue reading
- Follow Me – Part 1 - Follow Me - Part 1: We call ourselves Christians, but what does that mean? Wearing His symbol of a cross around our necks, is that a sign that we truly are following His commands? Or are we more causal about our faith; worshiping him on an occasional Sunday morning where we recite from rote memory the prayer he has given us. Sometimes the way of the Christian is difficult, and we are confronted with both opposition and difficulties that seem to hold us back. But the word from our Lord and Savior is simple, and we need to take it seriously. In a clear voice he tells us, Follow me." May we have the strength of faith to do just that. Continue reading
- Learning Theory - Learning Theory: I have this learning theory that I believe is logical, true and effective. I call it ‘Not by Accident’ and it suggests that what we have experienced or learned in our earlier days, we now pass on to others, intentionally or not, as we live our lives. These influences or lessons could be good or not so much. On the ‘good’ side, how do we teach compassion? How do we teach love, or faith, or trust, or generosity, or something as basic as making and maintaining a friendship? Or, on a more practical side, how to make the world’s greatest potato salad? Continue reading
- A Personal Miracle? - A Personal Miracle? Miracle in your home? Have you thought about that? Miracle, right there where you live. Have you thought about what God is doing within the ebb and flow of our lives, even as we sit here in our comfortable chair? Something is different. We can’t put out finger on it, but it just feels different. What has changed? Sometimes change can be subtle, like a gentle breeze we hardly notice, but it feels...peaceful. At other times change is like an abrupt something that happens, and our lives are upended, redirected. Or, maybe it exposes something of which we were unaware. You know, before that Day of Pentecost, the Disciples had to wait for something. We have our own time of waiting for our personal Day of Pentecost. It just doesn’t feel like that same kind of waiting time that the disciples went through, but how would we know? Continue reading
- Our Story - Our Story: He was a man of arrogance, ignorance, and pride. Caught up in his own perfection and he blindly saw those around him agreeing, even supporting him. And the Lord looked down on him and said to the Angel Michael, “He needs to be trained, to be shaped in our image. Let us begin”. Then the sun shone down on the man, in great heat, and he smiled and laughed, and said “What can a mere light in the sky due to me, I have shade and SPF 90 sunblock. I am perfect. And the sun continued to shine even brighter, and the heat increased, and the sunblock melted away. And yet, the man shrugged it off, his arrogance deepened.Then rains began and beat upon the man and he laughed, “What can a bit of rain do to me? I am weatherproof. The rains will soon cease, my crops will grow. My friends will come.” But the rain did not cease, and flood waters rose. In near panic, the man called out to his friends, but they did not come. He called again and again, but no help arrived. Then, overcome with fear, in desperation, he cried out, “Lord help me.” Is that what it takes? We come to the edge of disaster before we call on the Lord? Continue reading
