Plant Wisdom

Advice from Plant Mom:  "Luckily the Croton Petra is tough, so even if your plant has lost all its leaves, don't lose hope.  I laughed after reading that, as my plant is drooping and wilted.  

We are like puny plants.  We need God's resurrection power.  We trust that God will raise the dead like Lazarus.  We believe that God will will make dry bones live, as the prophet Ezekiel declared.

"Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. Ezek. 37:4

Whenever we face a difficult, desperate, dreadful situation, pray the Holy Spirit's power into it.  We may feel terrified, but we cannot succumb to despair. We must learn to endure.  We can hold on to one another and to Jesus, who promises to be with us to the end.

Flags & Faith?

Sighting:  Communion Sunday July 4th, communion cups neatly arranged on the narthex table over an American flag decoration?  Hmm, that's different.  Yup, that's dangerous, theologically speaking.  Because as we know, Christ's work on the cross was for all time, all peoples, living in all places.  

"God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Have you noted the latest publishing project, God Bless the USA Bible to be released in September 2021?  Why package the Bible plus U.S. Constitution, Pledge of Allegiance, and song lyrics "God Bless the USA?   Why conflate American nationalism and politics with the ancient, international Christian faith?  This too is dangerous drift, theologically speaking.  

No one country can claim Christ.  God's kingdom was ushered in at the cross where heaven and earth met in Christ.  

Yes, understanding basic Christian theology still matters, profoundly so.

Everyday Christian Education

Governments rise and fall, but God is eternal, immutable, and omnipotent.   Christianity is relevant and unique.  

We know Christians and spiritual seekers are blessed by loving Christian fellowship, growing in the knowledge of Christ, experiencing forgiveness, and relying on Holy Spirit power.  

So how are we to equip Christians for ministry?  How are we to develop the mind of Christ in believers?  How do we present Kingdom living in the here and now?  Life has always been difficult and messy.  People want the real story on how faith works in the everyday of handling anger, doubt, fear, failure, illness, stress...

People are struggling: individuals, couples, families, and congregations.  People are seeking meaning and purpose. Discipleship, listening, prayer, encouragement, hospitality, and service are still very much needed and appreciated.  It's only a question of where, when, and how they are made available in 21st century America.  

Perhaps Christian lectures are passé and outdated?  We learn best by hearing, seeing, doing, and through conversation as in apprenticeships, internships, mentoring, and following wise guides through the unknown.  

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

How will you share life, light, and love in an ordinary moment today?

Life Is Messy. Get Real.

Although we make plans, changing circumstances often prevent us from "living the dream."  Life is messy and often harder than imagined.  How are we to experience joy and peace while treading troubled waters?

After a pandemic year of going nowhere, my husband and I took a road trip only to land in the hospital, far from home.  Now the many follow-up doctor appointments.  And of course, family life presents its own problems which spill over into ours.

Are painful, protracted trials portrayed in the movies you watch and novels you read?  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (which our Crestview book group is reading) asks the question: Would I be better off picking a different life from the one I am actually living? 

The Apostle Paul writes many New Testament letters from jail.  Missionary work is tough.  Nevertheless, Paul rises above protracted suffering.  Read Philippians:  joy despite circumstances. What's his secret coping strategy?

We lean on Jesus Christ who gives us strength when we feel overwhelmed and weak.  He carries us through the darkest days.

"I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Phil. 4:12-13

Michael W. Smith. Hang On. Nov. 6, 2014  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piIfA6igo5Y

Like the Butterfly

Life is gearing up with the start of summer.  The cicadas are humming and flying.  Students are out of the classroom.  Many are making plans to visit family and friends after a very long pause.  It feels good to gather and celebrate life's milestones together.  Hunkering down is nearly done.

In the Mitford series, Cynthia would often say to Father Tim, who was struggling with the work/life balance as a new retiree, "Go and Be like the Butterfly."  

Life is short.  This message is shared in the Serenity prayer: "Enjoy one moment at a time" and the Lord's prayer" "Give us this day our daily bread."  Learning to live in the here and now requires a different mindset.  We can give ourselves permission to slow down, to sit, to gaze, to be.  We can change gears and pursue different goals that align with our values.  Performance, productivity, and possessions are lauded in the workplace, but they are not the key indicators of life.

Love is the primary force, not power.  We cherish those we love.  We will travel miles to see their smiles, as Michael Card sings.  What will you be doing this summer, as the lockdowns lift?

The Sunrise of Your Smile. Michael Card.  https://youtu.be/pCnmnTeB1lE

Gardens by the Creator

Gardens can inspire and awaken the senses.  They attract birds, insects, and wildlife.  Often they provide peace, respite, and healing for the frazzled soul.  As you recall, Jesus spent his final hours praying in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples, before he was betrayed.

Genesis opens in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve roamed in perfect harmony with one another and their Creator.  "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed." Gen 2:8   

Today romantic types seek out beautiful gardens in which to walk and talk.  Creative types take photographs, draw and paint, or hold concerts in gardens.  Reflective types read, journal, and meditate in gardens.  Hospitals provide gardens to promote healing for their patients.  

Did you know the French painter Monet spent the last 20 years of his life gardening and painting those water lily gardens in Giverny, France?  Such a lovely legacy that is still enjoyed by many today.

Will you you slow down to be dazzled by the designs, colors, scents, and shapes of tulips in Keukenhof, Holland?  

Gardens lift the spirit; worship and praise overflow in our hearts.  We glimpse the Kingdom of God made visible here on earth as we walk or sit in such places.  This summer why not stroll through a garden or even plant your own?

Resisting Growth

     "Author and Presbyterian minister Eugene Petersen was quoted in an interview as saying, 'The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it.'
    This is the motivation behind waiting prayer. We place ourselves in postures of the heart, in the stillness that enables us to become aware of what God is doing so that we can gradually say yes to it with our whole being." (Kidd, p. 129)*

What do you make of this spiritual insight?  

Shifting the preferred, modern mindset of being in control to letting go and trusting God is often a difficult journey.  I suspect it was tough in ancient times too.  Take Daniel, for example.  A young man at he prime of life and with plans is suddenly taken captive and relocated to a foreign country and culture where he lived thereafter.  

Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr describes the spiritual transformation process as moving from order to disorder to reorder.  Often suffering triggers transformation.  Often waiting prayer is involved as we process, adjust, and eventually receive unexpected happiness.

Kidd, S. M. When the heart waits: Spiritual direction for life's sacred questions. New York, NY: HarperOne, 1990.