Be More God-Like

~~~ Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matthew 25:31-46 ~~~

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The words of the Lord are living words.

They refresh the soul.

They inspire us, guide us, counsel us in his ways.

The words of the Lord teach us a better way to live.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD.

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

Lent is the perfect time to focus on our state of holiness.

If God did not think it was important

 for us to strive to be holy he would not

 have spoken these words.

We are a constant work in progress.

Our life is about getting to heaven

 which implies that we must be holy.

The words of God are life.

To be holy is to be in tune with God.

Whatever becomes of our life begins within our heart.

What we believe in is what we reach toward.

If we believe that being holy

 is worth while then we will make 

the necessary changes.

It will not be too overwhelming.

It will be invigorating to be more holy.

We were created in the image and likeness of God...

to be holy is to be more God like.

Blessings to become more like God.

Holiness is not just for the Saints...

holiness is for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Digging in the Dirt

~~~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 9:22-25 ~~~

If you are to choose life...if you are to follow Jesus...

you must also take up your cross.

Choosing life may even mean digging into the dirt;

 searching for the smallest sign of life.

Have you ever been digging

 in the soil only to find a long wiggly earthworm?

Choosing life is not always about being green and growing.

Choosing life can get down right dirty and smelly.

Today I have set before you

life and prosperity, death and doom.

The truth about life is that we often 

do not realize it is happening.

For Jesus, choosing life meant carrying the cross

 plus having every kind of torture imposed upon him.

We have the tendency to run away from our crosses

 under the belief that they do not lead to life.

The truth is each of your crosses has the potential to give you life.

Our crosses are much like a geode.

It is only when you crack it open

 are you able to see what is locked inside.

Without the cross what would the Resurrection be?

The trials and tribulations you experience in your lifetime

are creating amazing beauty within your soul.

It is in your times of anguish that real life is possible...

but it is up to you to choose this life.

You have the choice to see them as 'life' or to view

 them as utter destruction.

If, however, you turn away your hearts

 and will not listen...

You must die with Christ in order to take part in his life.

God does not force you to choose life,

he offers it to you every day.

Lent is the perfect time to look upon the dry parched world

believing that underneath it there is life to behold.

Trust in the Lord to give you the courage 

to 'choose life' even in the darkest of times.

There is a special Blessing waiting for you today...

look for it...choose it...claim it for your own.

~~~Peace~~~

Are We Using Words?

~~~ Saint Anthony ~~~

~~~ Hebrews 4:12-16 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Mark 2:13-17 ~~~ 

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

We have numerous examples of the words
 of God and from Jesus
attesting to their Spirit and Life.

Jesus does not need fancy speech.
He does not speak in some exotic language or dialect.
Jesus speak the words of the people.

The words of Jesus inspire people
 to drop everything and follow him.
The words of Jesus quiet wild demons.
The words of Jesus offer forgiveness to the sinner.
The words of Jesus heal the sick and lame.
The words of Jesus teach us he is our Savior.

How are we using our words?
Do our words extend life to suffering souls?
Do our words offer hope to those in pain?
Do our words bring the joy of the Lord to those in exile?

Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life.

Paul writes this about Jesus...
The word of God is living and effective...
...penetrating even between soul and spirit,
joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Jesus is Spirit and life because he is the Word made flesh.
It was with his words that God created all of creation.

Words have the power to motivate or destroy others.
Words are one way we convey our love for one another.
Words can also be used as weapons to instill
 fear into our hearts.

We must use our own words wisely
with care and love.
Our words can also be filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

May God Bless your words.
May they be used in a life giving manner.
~~~Peace~~~

Devoted Living Stones

~~~Fifth Sunday of Easter~~~

~~Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7~~Psalm 33~~

~~1 Peter 2:4-9~~John 14:1-12~~

We are the living stones...set here to thrive...
here to tell the story.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
He prepares a place for us; a room just for you.
You would only prepare a room for the living.
If we are with God and if he is with us
then we are among the living.
Being alive is more than our narrow concept
of what it means to be alive.

Do not let your hearts be troubled
because he is with you in good and in bad times.

...we shall devote ourselves to prayer

and to the ministry of the word.

Where God is there is life...
there is reason to have a devotion to prayer.
For he tells us what we ask for in prayer shall be given to us.

God is in the living word it belongs to him.

If we are to be alive as living stones then we too
 must devote ourselves
to a life of prayer.
If we are to be with God we must devote
ourselves to the ministry of the word...
that is to spreading the message.

We are chosen and precious.
We have been called out of darkness into his light for a reason.
We live in his light to announce his praises.

We are a people of his own.

Blessed to be alive today.
~~~Peace~~~

One 4-Letter Word...LIFE

~~~ Isaiah 49:8-15 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ John 5:17-30 ~~~

I have heard people say that they do not know God,

but in reality we can know God through

his son, Jesus.

Jesus is the visible flesh and blood of God.

Jesus is the substance and essence of God the Father.

...the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what

 he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.

God the Father models everything good for the Son to exhibit to us.

Jesus is one with the Father in all ways.

Their connection is way more than the traditional

 genetic father son bond.

God the Father is manifested

 before our very eyes in the person of Jesus.

Amazed is such a weak word to describe what is happening 

between the Father and the Son.

...the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.

Jesus knows without a doubt that he is loved by the Father.

He heard the words as he emerged from the waters of the Jordan...

This is my beloved son, whom I love...

The goal of many types of entertainers is to amaze you;

to make you say 'wow, how did he do that?'

Jesus did indeed work many miracles that we are still amazed and wowed.

There is nothing plain and ordinary about what God does.

God is God; how can we not be amazed?

Jesus has all of the same powers as the Father to use at his discretion.

The Father has given the Son the foundation of his love for us

so that the Son can freely chose when and how

to demonstrate his love.

...For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.

The great mystery of the Trinity;

condensed into one four letter word

LIFE.

Lent is about change...

Lent is about Life....

Not only life in this world, but eternal life.

Our salvation must be something that continues to amaze us.

Why would God go to such extravagant means to save us?

He wants to give us a share in life eternal with him

in the kingdom of heaven.

 Blessed with the gift of Life

 here and in eternity.

Peace.

Grafted to Life and Peace

~~~ Romans 8:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 13:1-9 ~~~

 

 ...if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!

 

There is some confusion among the people

about what is really important...

Jesus is making it to them that THE most important focus

should be on their own repentance.

No one can repent for your sins for you.

Jesus made it possible for us to have salvation,

 but he did not say now go and do whatever you want.

Without Jesus how would it have been possible for us to attain salvation?

Our salvation is not a free pass; we must do our part.

It does not mean that we cannot have help from others,

but we must do our part.

 

God knows the depths of our heart...

He knows if we are sincere with our repentance

or if we are just going through the motions.

We cannot fool God.

 

It comes back again to our free will and the choices we make in life.

The grace is available to us...the Holy Spirit is here for us.

Why do we ignore this help so many times?

 

 ...live according to the spirit...

...the concern of the spirit is life and peace.

 

If we want to live in the Spirit we must reflect back

to the world the concerns of the spirit.

First we must be about life.

The gardener wants to give the fig tree one more

season to produce. He chooses life for the tree.

Is it not more important for us to choose life for ourselves and others?

 

 

The Spirit is about peace...if we want to live in the spirit

 we too must be about peace.

We must foster God's peace beginning with those closest to us.

Peace radiates out just as one small pebble,

when dropped on the pond, sends out ripples.

There is no act of peace too small.

 

...if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

 

Blessings come from allowing God to graft your soul to the Spirit.

Through this we too can live in the same Spirit...

the Spirit of life and peace.

Who Has the Last Word?

 

~~~ Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Matthew 8:1-4 ~~~

 

 Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself,
“Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?”

 

It is probably not a good idea to laugh at the words of God.

When God is determined to get your attention,

he sometimes makes use of what we would consider outrageous.
All things are possible with God.
We never need to wonder if God will do what he says.
It is God that changes names...
today he changes Sarai to Sarah.

Most parents I know spend much time picking
 just the right name before their baby is born.
When God changes someone's name it indicates he has
 simultaneously changed their life.

God wanted Sarah to see herself as a new woman
even though she was at the end of her life.

 

 

The woman formerly known as Sarai was old, and barren.
Sarah was rejuvenated from within...
God blessed her with new life.
She would from then on know herself as a mother.
 From that day forward she would not question God's plan.
From that day forward she was given a new passion for life.
I think life begets more life.

Her despair was turned to a joy filled hope beyond her imagination.
She had given up the hope of conceiving...
but God changed everything.
God gave Isaac to Sarah and Abraham.
If there is any part of your life where you have lost hope
trust that God has his plan still to come.

God has the last words of blessing.
He alone gives life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Jesus Brings Balance

~~~ Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Matthew 5:17-19 ~~~

“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Jesus says he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
The laws of the Old Testament were not filled with spiritual life until Jesus came.
The laws were only the framework.
Jesus used this framework to bring all things to the fullness of life
through himself.
He is the way the truth and the life.

Jesus did not come to replace the laws and all they had taught.
In fact if we do not reflect on and appreciate the laws
then we cannot fully understand or appreciate
what Jesus brought to us.

It is something like studying the history of your country.
If you do not become familiar with the old laws and the old ways
you cannot appreciate the changes that have taken place.

Everywhere Jesus went his words and actions were raising the eyebrows
of the elders because they could only see the way things were.
They could only see how things had always been.
They could not see that perhaps there was something more...
something better...something more fulfilling.

Laws alone are cold stark impersonal...
Jesus was a warm, caring, compassionate person.
Jesus was personal.
Jesus dealt with the person he was near.
Jesus made adjustments to each situation.
Laws are rigid, but they serve a purpose.

Jesus brought balance into the world.
The law alone is lopsided...skewed.
We too need balance in our life.
It is possible to get so caught up in the rules and laws of the church
that one forgets to be in awe of the wonders of our God.
We tend to forget all that he has done for us
while we are being busy about keeping the letter of the law.

Jesus modeled for us in many situations the value of relationships.
Rules and laws can never replace the personal relationship
God wants us to have with him.

Most of all God wants us to realize how much he loves us.
This is what we need to be teaching our children...
We should be teaching them about God's love for them.
Take advantage of every opportunity to tell the children
 in your life how much Jesus loves them.

Jesus brought life into the dried lifeless laws.
He can bring life into your heart as well.
You are loved!

God's Vocabulary

~~~ 1 John 2:18-21 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ John 1:1-18 ~~~

 

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

God communicated with us through his Word.

He brought to life his Word.

His words are Life itself.

 

People say a picture is worth a thousand words,

God chose to communicate with us

by taking his words and turning them into

more than just a picture...

 

Think for a moment the power of our human words.

We can make or break another person with or own words.

A parent or teacher can inspire a child to be a wonderful person.

Or the negative words a child hears can keep them trapped in a world of fear.

 

A single word of praise or criticism can influence your whole day.

Words can illicit a wide range of emotions

from laughter to sadness.

Our words can hurt or heal.

Our words can express love or hatred.

So often we do not think about the impact of our words.

 

Parents eagerly wait for their child's first word...

will it be dada or momma?

Words can set you free.

 

Words tumble from our mouths as if we have no control.

Too many times we do not think about what we are saying.

 

We have the ability to use our words for good.

Do you?

The power of words has been used by many through the practice

of positive affirmations.

Visualizing our words can improve the chances of

their coming into reality in our life.

God has given us a tiny little piece of his magnificent power.

 

'...And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us...'

 

God speaks all things into being.

His words give us light and life.

His word became one of us in flesh and blood.

His word made flesh came to save us.

 

I have loved words for many years...

as this year comes to a close

I invite you to consider how you have used the power

of your words the past twelve months.

 

If we pay attention to the impact of our words we may

never feel the need to take them back.

The challenge is to speak words from God's vocabulary...

LOVE.

 

 

Today marks a goal that I set for myself...

to write each day about the scripture readings.

Some days it was more challenging than others but always

it led me to a deeper understanding

and appreciation for the inspired

Words of God.

 

I truly appreciate everyone who has followed this blog during 2012.

I appreciate those also who accidently stumbled upon my writings.

 

The question I am now asking is

should I continue this daily writing project?

If you have any thoughts I would love to hear from you.

 

May God Bless you as another year comes to an end.

Eleven Years Later: Let Peace Arise

~~~ 1Cor 6:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ Luke 6:12-19 ~~~

 

I can still feel the remnants of the shock and fear that morning eleven years ago.

 I was sitting with my small group of struggling math students.

My thoughts quickly went to my son and daughter in law;

for they were living in Brooklyn and working in the the city.

Just a few months before she had turned down a job

in one of the twin towers.

 

That tragic day eleven years ago still has the power to fill our eyes with tears.

How could another human being even conceive of such a horrible act;

much less carry it out?

Were the people responsible even human?

 

We sat for hours and days as the media replayed

the footage of those two towering man made structures

crumble to the ground like toys.

 

In the following days every reaction known to mankind

was thrust into action.

That day thousands of innocent lives were lost.

That day thousands of lives were spared by seemingly small delays.

That day being late for work may have

made the difference between life and death.

 

In spite of the evil that had struck our country

God brought out the genuine core of goodness within so many people.

That day God created the perfect environment

for people to think not of themselves first

but of their fellowmen.

That day the first responders acted fearlessly as they climbed the stairs 

to meet their calling; to save the lives of those they had vowed to take care of.

 

Today eleven years after this tragedy, we remember all those who were lost.

Today eleven years later we remember those who lost loved ones that day.

Today we remember those who continue to suffer as a result of this evil act.

 

Eleven years later where are we as a country?

Eleven years later where are we as individuals?

 

How have we been able to move on into a place of peace?

Eleven years later are we any closer to being able to forgive?

Eleven years later are we more fearful?

Eleven years later do we harbor more hatred

and bias within our own hearts?

 

Today as we remember let us continue to trust

that God did, does, and will be our protector.

Today as we remember let us believe that this world

can only experience peace

to the extent that each individual

experiences the same peace.

 

True peace can only come from God above.

The prayer of St. Francis is more important than ever.

I invite you to let your heart be an instrument of peace in our world.

Seek peace for yourself so that through this peace

you may spread peace on to others.

 

 

God alone will deliver justice.

We are ever reminded that his ways are not our ways.

His mercy endures forever.

He alone is the judge.

He came to be among us so that we could come

to a deeper understanding of love....his love.

 

I pray that we continue to strive toward a greater world peace.

I am forever grateful for the out pouring of goodness 

we were witness to

eleven years ago today.

 

"...now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God."

(1 Corinthians 6:11)

 

May the Christ residing in your heart dispel all darkness, fears, and hatred.

Let Christ raise you up with himself, bringing you unto himself.

What is There about His Word?

~~~ 1 Cor 2:10b-16 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~Luke 4:31-37 ~~~

 

We see Jesus in the temple, but he is now in a town of Galilee, Capernaum.

Once again the other Jewish officials were astonished at his teaching

because he spoke with authority.

They did not know just how much authority he had.

 They did not know that his authority had come from God the Father.

 

His words alone could command the evil spirits to evacuate themselves.

The evil spirits themselves recognized his authority.

 

"...Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

 

The demon within the man obeyed the words of Jesus.

 

"Be quiet! Come out of him!"

 

When one is possessed by a demon it is exhausting.

The demon saps all of the available energy from its host.

Evil is a parasite it lives off of the spirit energy of the person.

When evil consumes you 

you have no energy left to combat its effects.

 

Jesus uses his words to calm the demon and

when it leaves the man is thrust to the ground.

The demons did not harm the man, but he collapsed as they fled.

 

The power of the words of Jesus

is such that he only needs to speak a few at a time.

He does not need to convince the demon to leave;

he just wills it to be done by his few words.

 

The demon was concerned about being destroyed by Jesus,

the Holy One.

Jesus does not destroy the demon

he sends it away.

The demon is cast out to be alone.

He has lost his comfortable host.

In the man the demon could act out his evilness upon others.

Through the actions of this unsuspecting man

the demon could spread his desires to harm others.

 

Jesus still works this way today among us

it is just not as easily detected.

People today are still healed.

It only takes a few words from Jesus.

His words are life and spirit.

 

 

Paul says we too have been given the Spirit of God.

"...We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God..."

 

Jesus spoke words filled with the Spirit.

We too can tap into the Spirit of the Lord that resides

deep within our being.

Our difficulty is that we must believe

that the power of the spirit

 is alive within us.

 

We come to believe through practice and praying words with conviction.

Practice believing the Spirit of God is alive within you.

Sincerely pray the words given to us by God.

As soon as you detect or even suspect the demons are near

send them away with the words of Jesus.

"Be Quiet!"

Do not be distracted from going good in each situation

you find yourself in today.

Lord, grant me the strength to keep the Spirit within alive.

Words of Spirit and Life

~~~ Acts 9: 31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ John 6: 60-69 ~~~

Now we are with Peter as he goes about doing the work of the Lord. Today, just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Peter raises a woman named Tabitha. This news spread quickly causing many more to believe.

God was building up his community of believers.

I join the psalmist in song...

“How can I make a return to the Lord for all he has done for me?”

“I will call upon the name of the Lord.”

The words of the Lord are Spirit and Life. This is so because the Word became flesh and was born of a woman; Mary. Not only does Jesus give us the bread of life to eat the very words he speaks also carry the properties of life. Jesus knew that some who heard...some who walked with and followed him would not be able to believe.

In order to believe you must release your previous understanding about what you thought you knew. Because as we know, God’s thoughts are nowhere near our thoughts no matter how much we would like to believe otherwise.

Jesus will never force someone to believe, not even those who could look into his very eyes...those who could hear the passion in his voice as he spoke. He always allows you to make your own decisions. If you are reading this I could assume you have made the decision to believe, but you may have accidently stumbled upon this blog posting.

Some heard and returned to their former way of life.

If you turn and walk away from God he is still looking at you. He will never turn away from you, even if you try to push him away.

It will not work. His love is greater than we can fathom.

From Death into Life

Acts of the Apostles 10: 34a, 37-43 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ Col. 3:1-4 ~~~ John 20: 1-9

He is Risen!

Let's return to the morning after...I am sure that Mary and those who loved Jesus got very little sleep after witnessing his barbaric death. I know from personal experience if I am upset about something how difficult it is to sleep. Your mind is working over time thinking about possibilities or solutions.

They had no time to properly prepare the body because of the Jewish feast beginning at sundown. They were not allowed to stay at the burial site and keep watch. 
The body of Jesus was laid in the tomb and left alone.

We are never alone when we have Jesus inside our heart.

The tomb was dark, he was wrapped tightly as a baby is swaddled. His arms and legs held close to his body. Swaddling makes a baby feel secure. Jesus was secure in knowing that it was finished, he had completed the will of the Father.

"...while it was still dark..."

Mary and the others returned to the tomb before dawn. The earth lay cloaked in darkness until Jesus was raised and released from the dark tomb. His glory broke forth like the new day's dawn.  The first ray of sunlight pierces the dark sky breaking open the new day.
The resurrection of Jesus dispels all sin and darkness. For he ushers in the eternal light of Salvation. We shall no longer walk in darkness.

Word spread as the rays of sun danced across the horizon proclaiming the empty tomb. The stone rolled back, the swaddling cloths neatly left behind. The separate cloth covering his face carefully set aside. Those who came saw and believed though they did not fully understand the scriptures.

Raised from dead; he now sits at the right hand of the Father
where they reign in glory as one.

As we celebrate the Resurrection let us joyfully sing Alleluia,
just as we joyfully sang the Gloria at his birth.

For we cannot have one without the other; life and death are part
of the great Circle of Life.
Today we are given confirmation of life after death in the kingdom of God.