I think I’ve shared before that my wife thinks it’s sad for someone to go to the movie alone. The way I see it, I get the popcorn to myself. It’s not like we can talk to each other during the movie anyway. Right? So, there I was, once again sitting alone in a movie theater, large popcorn and large lemonade in hand, expecting to be surrounded by other movie goers, albeit strangers to me. But no, in the end, not only did I go to the movie alone… I had the theater to myself.
Although the emptiness of the theater most likely had more to do with the time and day of the showing that I attended, mid-week and mid-day, rather than any lack of interest in the content of the film, the irony of it did not escape me. Messages that cause us to squirm in discomfort, whether from a movie or a pulpit, important as they may be, are not typically welcomed. Indeed, the cost of faithful discipleship on our lives is not a topic on which we like to dwell. It would be preferable, perhaps, if discipleship could be confined to weekly church attendance and encounters with those who share our faith and beliefs. But that is not all there is to discipleship. Discipleship calls into a life that emulates the life of Jesus. Bonhoeffer said, “It is only because he became like us that we can become like him.” To become like [Jesus] is the heart of discipleship.
For Bonhoeffer, the way of discipleship was not easy, but it was clear. To live as a disciple of Jesus, is to act out of love on behalf of others, not just talk about it.
“In as much as you have done it unto the least of these [both good and bad], you have done it unto me.” — Jesus (Matthew 25 40, adapted)
I was alone in the theater, but I know I am not alone in my desire to be a better disciple. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I have it within me to be as courageous as Deitrich Bonhoeffer when it comes to taking an active, and sometimes vocal, stand on behalf of others … especially when the personal cost is potentially high. One thing I am sure of though is that I must try. To do otherwise, in my humble opinion, would be to insult the very one whose name I claim.
I truly believe that together, with each other and with Christ, we can find the courage we need.
Fall is upon us, and with it, the chaos and scurry of the holiday season with its added sacred and secular celebrations, family traditions, large gatherings, and newly minted memories.
In her most recent “letter from the editor,” Joanna Gaines writes about the importance of knowing what to tune out and to what we need to attune. I hope that in her words, you will find the encouragement you need to slow down a little and enjoy the things that really matter … God, family, friends, neighbors, and, who knows, maybe even an “enemy” or two.
Fall is notorious for feeling short, especially in Texas. Some years, it seems like we blink and it’s already gone. This fleeting season comes with piles of little graces to feel and to hold – its cool mornings and bursts of color, the heavy knits and firelit nights. But I’ve learned that those things are most enjoyed by those who stop long enough to take note. Fall is richest for those who refuse to miss it.
Something about that resonates with life, I think. How the natural shifts in our lives hold their own kind of power, create their own kind of song. It’s a melody that can only play when we let the other noises in our lives quiet down. [Attune, the theme for the current edition of the magazine] is not a word that we use every day, but it’s a word that feels active and alive, careful and purposeful. To us, it means pausing long enough to see whether the patterns we practice and the values we hold are in sync and then, if necessary, readjust. Attune mimics the season in this way, because fall is change. Nature grants us permission to follow its lead – to put in the work that will, in due time, reap a harvest.
To me this idea feels contradictory to what the world asks of us. There’s little room for process, for stillness. These few months are often crammed with back-to-school routines, early mornings, and seasonal gatherings, only speeding up fall’s momentary nature. But stepping on the brakes to let yourself take inventory of how your days are unfolding, and turning the dial left or right (even just a few notches), feels like a good kind of resistance that I’m craving more and more of. When I press flowers in my rose cottage or get lost in conversation with my family around the dinner table – those moments of lingering and slowing are the ones the world and its noise can’t reach. That’s when deep and true things within us are really given space to sing.
That’s why [I’m] making a case for boredom. What we once dreaded as kids (and maybe still do as adults) can become an unexpected avenue for self-awareness…
So here’s the invitation: This fall, let’s take a breath, and then, take note. When we lean in and show up, the ever-elusive season, now lived in full, won’t feel so fleeting after all. And this time, when the song of our lives starts to play loud and clear, we’ll know how to sing the harmony.”[i]
In the town where we live, you can always tell when October has arrived … not Fall … October. That’s when yard waste bags begin to appear out of nowhere on garbage day. It’s not that that is magically when leaves begin to fall, or flower beds are ready to be cleared of dead flowers. Those things start in late August or early September depending on the amount of rain we have had. The reason for the increase in bags at the curb is that yard waste tags, which must be purchased from the city, are not required during October and November. Those of us with leafy trees and dying flowers look forward to that first week of October, so we can finally put out all the bags we have been filling and storing in our sheds. And with the final vestiges of warmth, we can finish the Fall cleaning before winter sets in.
That is exactly what I set out to do a couple of weeks ago… clean out the flower beds and bag all of the waste. I worked diligently all day, but in the end had one flower bed for which I ran out of time to clean. In this particular flower bed there are two types of flower “bushes,” both of which appeared, for all intents and purposes to be done for the year. The stalks of one in particular had begun to yellow and the only leaves remaining were either discolored or shriveled and waiting to fall. I considered working in the dark to finish the job I had begun, but decided it could wait. The plant was in the backyard and could not be seen from the street. It was dead but not ugly, so there was no hurry.
I am particularly fond of this flower bush and it’s large, hibiscus like flowers which sometimes come when many other flowers are done blooming. It has a very definite blooming period, never ceasing to fulfill its part in bringing beauty to late summer. But, when it’s done, it’s done. Imagine our surprise, then when, in mid-October, a single flower bloomed at the top of one of the longer stalks. It stood tall and strong as if to say, “do not doubt my ability to bring life and beauty where death seems to have taken hold … do not rush to think that I am finished … there is always more to come, even if not for a little while.”
It’s difficult to know when to bag up and throw out, and when to hold on and be patient. Sometimes by choice and sometimes by chance (due to lack of time to do otherwise) I tend to hold on hoping for one last round of produce from the garden, one last blooming of the rose bushes, one last warm day to enjoy the patio furniture before putting it away for the winter. This year, I tried to be proactive. This year, I gave into the desire to get my bags out early. This year, I almost missed the unexpected gift of a favorite flower which reminded me to exercise patience, and to know that God is still at work … even in the places where it appears there is nothing left for which we ought to wait.
Had I taken out the plant when I intended, there would have been no flower to see. But let me be clear, I in no way believe that God rewarded my waiting. What I do believe is that the very presence of the flower was an unexpected gift, and a reminder that hope always exists in spite of what we think we know about what God can do.
Anytime the conversation turns to some habit, verbal expression, or way of being that was engrained in me growing up … specifically those things connected to my “southern” life influences, my wife reminds me that I have been living in the Midwest longer than I lived in the south. There are some things, however, that no matter how long I have been “up north,” will likely never change. Like, for instance, the preference to be barefoot whenever possible. I could argue that it’s because I like to be “grounded” or intimately connected to creation, but the reality is that I just don’t like wearing shoes and socks unless I have to. Although I will admit that I might have less leg and hip pain at the end of a long day if I’ve had on a good pair of supportive shoes, there is a point in the day when it comes time to let my hair arches down.
The other day, the weather was exceptionally nice for a mid-October day in northern Illinois. The sun was out and there was only a mild breeze. Consequently, I decided to take my laptop and go out on the back deck to work. What I didn’t take was shoes and socks. One doesn’t get too many chances to go barefoot in October when living near Chicago… at least not without the judgmental glances of neighbors and family members. If only I had some beach sand to dig my toes into, it would have been a perfect day!
As the afternoon passed, and the sun began to lower on the horizon, the temperature began to drop. Years of going barefoot have made my feet pretty resilient to the elements; however, even the toughest of feet eventually succumb to the cold. So yes, on what was a nearly perfect Fall day, I got cold feet. The question was, would I take advantage of the warm slippers that were available just inside and push through, or would I give in and go in? Ultimately, I went in. In this case, I knew I could go inside and do my work … with warm feet. No need to experience discomfort.
That said, I will tell you that during that inner debate about what I should do when I get “cold feet,” I couldn’t help but wonder how often in our discipleship … even when conditions are nearly perfect for us to engage in mission, share our faith, or take a stand for a person or group of people who are being treated unjustly, we get cold feet. Rather than taking advantage of the Holy Spirit which waits to warm our hearts, give us courage, and bring us comfort, we opt to give up and “go in.”
The call of discipleship can have the same effect as the setting sun on a fall day which brings colder temperatures, likely resulting in “cold feet.” But God has promised us a comforter, guide and companion that provides and alternative to the chilling aspects of our world, freeing us to be about Christ’s mission, bringing hope to the world.
Got cold feet? Don’t give up. Even if you don’t have slippers, there’s a comforter to get you warmed up.
The following is “from the desk of…” the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Conference of Bishops. It speaks for itself as a reminder of our responsibility to seek truth as disciples of Jesus Christ. The statement, “ELCA Conference of Bishops Emphasizes the Need to Speak the Truth,”[i] was released on October 1, 2024. It is my hope that all who read this will sense the urgency of this message, and be willing to commit to its invitation.
In a perfect garden, created by God for the sake of humanity, evil entered in the form of deception and lies. Christians refer to this story, found in the biblical book of Genesis, as the fall of humanity. This foray into human sin began when Adam and Eve, the first humans created in the image of God, were deceived.
Yet we are a people who know and proclaim the power of God at work in the world. We proclaim the power of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the one who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
We know that the power of truth is greater than the power of deceit.
We, the members of the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, speak with one voice to condemn the hateful, deceptive, violent speech that has too readily found a place in our national discourse. We lament the ways this language has led to hate-fueled action.
We refuse to accept the ongoing normalization of lies and deceit.
We recommit ourselves to speaking the truth and pointing to the one who is truth. We find courage in our collegiality and implore the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as our partners and friends, to join us as we:
- Pledge to be vigilant guardians of truth, refusing to perpetuate lies or half-truths that further corrode the fabric of our society.
- Commit to rigorous fact-checking, honoring God’s command to “test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
- Reject the use of humor that normalizes falsehood, remembering that our speech should “always be gracious” (Colossians 4:6).
- Boldly advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, emulating Christ’s love for the least among us.
- Courageously interrupt hate speech, standing firm in the knowledge that all are created in God’s image.
- Lean in with curiosity, engage with those who think differently and “put the best construction on our neighbor’s action” (Luther’s explanation of the Eighth Commandment).
- Amplify voices of truth.
Emboldened by the Holy Spirit, may we resist deception and lift up the truth that all members of humanity are created in the image of God.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all as we respond to the Spirit’s invitation into this intentional commitment against deception and for truth.
In Christ, The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Blessings,
Blake
[i] https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/8247
For the week of Oct 7th, 2024
Be the Church
Over 37 years of marriage, my wife has told me that, even if she’s told me something, I apparently need to hear it from another source in order for it to sink in. So, I ran across an blog by Kellen Roggenbuck, that gets right to the heart of something I believe is central to our call … and which I’ve talked about before, and I thought it might be good to hear from another source. Here’s what Kellen writes (shortened slightly):
“There are many things that Jesus did exceptionally well that we as modern followers should embrace. We call this “discipleship,” which includes praying, teaching, learning, and growing…all the things we want to be more Christlike in. But there is one area around which I believe we need to discern a more engaged call, especially as the church: reaching the alienated.
We live in an increasingly fragmented and polarized world riddled with loneliness, and where people are retreating into their own echo chambers and building walls instead of bridges … but I’m not just talking about the general sense of alienation that permeates our culture. I’m talking about the folks who are on the fringes of society, the ones who feel like they don’t belong anywhere, the ones who have been rejected, marginalized, or forgotten especially by the church. Whether it is implicitly or explicitly, perception or reality, the number of people who have felt alienated by the church is on the rise.
These are the people Jesus spent most of his time with. The lepers, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the outcasts. The ones who were considered “unclean” or “unworthy” by the religious establishment. These were the people unwelcome at the temple or the synagogue, turned away by the religious leadership. And yet, Jesus saw something in them that no one else did. He saw their potential, their worth, their humanity, their divine creation. He welcomed them into his circle of friends, ate with them, healed them, called them, equipped and empowered them, and loved them unconditionally.
So, how do we, as modern-day followers of Jesus, reach out to the alienated in our own communities? Consider these points:
Go to them. We need to be willing to go where they are. This might mean stepping outside of our comfort zones, venturing into unfamiliar territory, and engaging with people who are different from us. It might mean visiting a homeless shelter, volunteering at a prison ministry, or attending a support group for LGBTQ+ youth … If we actually want to engage like Christ did, we need to be willing to meet them where they are, on their terms, and listen to their stories with compassion and empathy.
Check your heart. You need to be willing to challenge your own assumptions and biases. We all have them, whether we like to admit it or not. And they can often get in the way of building genuine relationships with people who are different from us. We need to … ask ourselves hard questions about why we feel the way we do about certain groups of people, both as individuals and the church.
Be radical in your hospitality. This means welcoming everyone into our communities, no matter what their background, beliefs, or lifestyle choices and especially those who are the least, the last, and the lost among us. It means creating safe spaces where people can be themselves, without fear of judgment or rejection. It means sharing meals, stories, and laughter with people who might not look like us, think like us, or act like us.
Speak truth to power. Every Christ follower’s responsibility is to call out injustice and oppression wherever we see it, even (and perhaps especially) when it’s happening within our own churches or communities … It means advocating for the marginalized, standing up for the oppressed, and working towards a more just and equitable society for all. It means using the support, connection, and privilege within the faith community to walk with those who’s voice needs centering.
… it’s essential work, if we want to live out the gospel in a way that’s relevant and meaningful to the world around us… Let’s go out into the world and show the cast out that they are not alone, that they are loved, and that they have a place in God’s kingdom and our church.
Let’s be the church that Jesus envisioned—“[i]
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Kellen Roggenbuck, “Calling in the Cast Out,”https://www.ministrymatters.com/lead/entry/11785/calling-in-the-cast-out, August 14, 2024.
For the week of Sept 30th, 2024
Broken Tiles
It all started with the chipping of the floor tiles… at first a few corners here and there, and then whole sections. For a while, they covered the affected spaces with area rugs in an effort to hide the ugliness of what was a growing issue. Try as they might to keep the floor safe for foot traffic and to make the basement look presentable, the flooring continued to deteriorate. In order for the basement to be usable for it’s intended purposes … a kitchen, fellowship hall, and classrooms …something had to be done.
The decision was made to get new flooring. The old flooring could not be repaired, nor could it be matched so that broken tiles could simply be replaced. There was even speculation that what lie below might be toxic. They would have to start from scratch. How hard could it be? By this point, many of the tiles were loose or cracked. Some had already even been removed. And so, the process began.
The reality was that under the deteriorating top floor there were two additional layers at various points of decay. Covered up and forgotten, the bottom layers had contributed to the failure of the current visible flooring. Not only that, but the glue that held them in place had seemingly strengthened. So much so that their removal would require long hours and the use of commercial power tools … basically a jackhammer.
Several years have passed since the project began. However, there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” New flooring awaits in a nearby warehouse while a few final tasks are completed. The project might have gone quicker, but the cost (physically, financially, temporally, and emotionally) of the work was more than expected. What appeared on the surface to be an easy task, was anything but easy. However, the opportunities for mission that the facility holds will have been worth the effort, time, and attention.
Life in sacred community is like the flooring project. We can live in everyday community, covering the cracks and brokenness with “area rugs” for a while. Eventually, however, the toxicity of what lies below the surface will begin to affect what we are able to experience. We are made to believe that if we cover up and forget that which is unpleasant … the broken “tiles” of our lives such as disappointment, broken relationships, exclusionary practices, loneliness, loss, etc., they will simply cease to exist. But that is not so.
In order for us to tap into the possibilities and opportunities that are inherent within us … in order to lay a new foundation on which to walk with one another into a safer, brighter, more healthy future … in order to bring about the peaceful reign of Christ … we have to be willing to do the work of removing the broken tiles from our individual and communal lives. Long-held grudges towards people, policies, traditions, and institutional practices (just to name a few) are the mastic used to hold down those unpleasant, broken “tiles” that could ultimately be our undoing.
Of course, the task of peeling away the layers and dismantling the existing “mastic” will be costly (physically, emotionally, temporally, and maybe even financially). However, not only is it the work to which we are called, I am convinced that it is worth the effort, time and attention. We were created to live in sacred community with God and with one another. That cannot happen in an environment of where hidden tiles and covered up broken pieces are accepted as the norm. To the contrary, sacred community is the very place where those things are dealt with … together.
I pray that we can show the world what it means to remove the “area rugs” and get down to the business of becoming true sacred community.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 23rd, 2024
Companions
This week’s Gospel lectionary passage comes from the Gospel of Mark (9:38-50). When I read this passage, I am reminded of the Community of Christ hymn, “We are Companions on the Journey.” In the passage, John approaches Jesus to report that they (the disciples) had seen someone “casting out demons in Jesus’ name.” He (and probably they too) were upset because this person was not following them. He was not doing things their way … which, of course, was not only the right way, but, in their minds, the only way.
Jesus’ response to them was actually quite harsh and filled with hyperbole … most likely to get his point across clearly and quickly. He told them that, “whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus goes on to give them a litany of things that it would be better for them to lose (hands, feet, eyes…) than to lose their place in the Kingdom of God.
Too often, we, like John and the disciples, allow ourselves to get caught up in critiquing the actions of others that don’t fit our categories of what is right and good, rather than focusing on the things in our own life that are less than perfect. But there is hope! It won’t be easy, since we live in a very competitive world … a world we have been conditioned to believe is made up of winners and losers … those who are right and those who are wrong … those who are gifted and those who are not … those who have and those who do not.
But what if we began to celebrate the journey rather than what we might consider mis-steps along the way. What if we found ways to encourage one another in our attempts to find a path forward with God and with each other. What if we cheered on one another even when those paths were not the same, but actually allowed each individual to explore and live fully into their created selves with God.
Recently, my wife and I visited our youngest daughter in New Mexico. During our time there, we went on several excursions. On one particular afternoon, we chose to go in search of a natural hot spring. We did not know that the spring was nestled high up in the side of a mountain, and we had not adequately prepared for the “hike” that was required. However, we had come a long way and we were not turning back without seeing the spring. The trail was well worn in some places, but there were other places where the path was less clear… and somewhat tricky. With each turn of the path, we encountered new obstacles (deep mud, thorny bushes, slippery rocks, etc.), and each of us had to decide the best way to navigate those obstacles. No one path was right for all of us. We each chose our path carefully, searching for footing that would provide the right support that we needed in the moment.
Through it all, we encouraged one another, lending a hand where we could, patiently waiting as long as necessary to make sure our companions reached the goal … and, of course, a safe return to our car. At no point did anyone say, “you’re going the wrong way,” or “there’s a better way.” We allowed one another to find our own way and celebrated our individual and communal “victories.” Yes, we are a family, and have learned to support one another in this way because we love one another. But we are all part of God’s family and called to love one another and “live at peace with one another.”
The spring was pretty cool (actually very warm). Seeing it was worth the struggle, if for no other reason than we accomplished it together. It wouldn’t have been the same, however, if we had forced one another to all take the same path … to step in the same places … to navigate the obstacles in the same way. By allowing each other to find their own path, we avoided frustration, anger, and injury. And, in the end we were together… companions on the journey … experiencing a little taste of the Kingdom of God.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 16th, 2024
Unseen and Unheard
Picture by Doran on Flickr
I have mentioned several times before that I am the poster child of privilege … white, male, middle class, heterosexual, Christian (had I only been athletic, life would have been perfect). I grew up in a home with loving parents who remained married until my dad’s passing. As best I can remember, I received all the attention that I needed, though perhaps not all that I wanted. By no means was I habitually neglected or overlooked by those whose attention I sought. Sure, there were times in which I felt left out by peers, or had my opinion seemingly overlooked in larger groups, but nothing for which I might need to write an expose or a blockbuster memoir where I “out” those who have “done me wrong.”
You might think that someone in my position of privilege would take for granted, and even enjoy the ease of getting wanted attention. OK… I’m human. I don’t take it for granted, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy attention every once in a while. But… since I was a teenager (that’s as far back as I can remember), I was always aware of those who were left out … unseen and unheard. Unfortunately, I often lacked the courage to take a stand for those persons, only reaching out to them when it was “safe.” And, by “safe,” I mean times when I was fairly sure it wouldn’t draw the criticism of the “cool kids.” It’s something of which I am not proud.
Luckily, by my late teens, and certainly into adulthood, the concern of being put on the “left out” list faded. Cool kids weren’t really as cool as I had thought, and I found I could survive without them. With each passing year, my attention turned more and more to acknowledging ways in which people are made to feel left out and to find ways to be more inclusive. Being left out is no fun at best, and deeply hurtful at worst. Perhaps my focus on inclusion has to do with being raised in a church, Community of Christ, that lives by a set of Enduring Principles that includes the Worth of All Persons … all persons … PERIOD. (No need to make a “regardless of” list … ALL means ALL).
I can honestly say that I do not know what it means to be left out or marginalized. But, every once in a while I get a small taste … just enough to keep me on my toes. Yesterday, was one of those times. I joined an online meeting, and quickly found that Zoom was not recognizing my computer’s internal camera (I was working remotely and had not brought my webcam). No worries. I was familiar with the “raise hand” function and could still speak to the group if a question arose or I was called on to share…or so I thought. As it turns out, Zoom didn’t recognize my microphone either. I scrambled frantically to find a way to be “heard.” I sent texts to the presenters, and typed as fast I could in the meeting “chat.” All to no avail. I know that the presenters were not intentionally ignoring me. The problems had originated with technology on my end. But, that knowledge did not ease my frustration. Multiple times, the presenters would ask if there were questions or feedback, and each time I wanted to to jump up and down and wave my arms and yell at the non-responsive screen, “Yes, I’m here and I have something to say …. something to add to the conversation.” One of the last things said in the meeting before it was ended was, “Well, we don’t have anything in the chat from Blake, so if no one else has anything…”
In that moment, I found myself thinking, “so that’s how it feels to be unseen and unheard.” Imagine if that was something I had to experience every day. Is it any wonder why people who have been relegated to the margins of our society sometimes have to “jump up and down and wave their arms” to get the attention they need and deserve … to feel that they have worth … that it matters that they exist.
Every day, there are children and adults who go to bed feeling unseen and unheard. If you are one of the unseen and unheard, I pray that you would know that you are heard and seen by God… and that you matter. I pray also that you will reach out to someone you trust and let them know how you feel, because you deserve to feel loved. If, on the other hand, you are like me, and have had the privilege of being heard and seen in your life, I pray that you will live your life inclusively, being intentional to notice ways in which people might be being left out and finding ways to give them voice and visibility.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 9th, 2024
Let Them Go
I realized the other day, that the time had come to go through the clothes in my closet and do some cleaning out and letting go. There are perhaps a few items in my closet that ought to go just because items from the 70s and 80s are not any longer, nor will they ever be, in style… no matter how cool or “hip” they were “back in the day.” Yes, some might be usable as costumes for a “retro” event, but even that is now less likely since, these days, “retro” or “oldies” apparently refers to things from the 90s and early 2000s. Where has time gone?
I wish I could say that the majority of the non-wearable clothes in my closet were in the “let go” category because of their age or lack of timeless style. I could say that I rotate clothes in and out of my closet by season since there are “seasons” when I exercise a little less and give into cravings a little more. Consequently, the clothes that really need to go are the ones that no longer fit.
I’ve had to admit to myself that there will never be another “season” when I can fit back into clothes I wore 5-10 years ago, much less the ones I wore when I was a child, teenager, or a young adult. Although they were the perfect size and style when purchased, my life experiences (in this case, eating and exercise habits) require a new wardrobe.
It would seem that clothing is not the only area of my life where growth has required me to change something like my food, my clothes, my habits. My encounters with people from different ethnic groups, cultures, countries, world religions, and belief systems have resulted in the expansion (growth) of my world view. The things I learned as a child about “others” have in some ways turned out to be mis-informed or short-sighted, often having been shared with me by persons who themselves had had limited exposure to the “others” of whom they spoke. Now that I have built relationships with persons who have often been labeled as other in the culture with which I was most familiar, the old ideas no longer fit.
The same is true in my relationship with God and my faith, both of which continue to grow as I am exposed to deeper understandings of who God is and what God desires for creation. I am thankful for the flannel board stories that introduced me to God and to Jesus. Those images were helpful to me as a child and even well into my young adulthood, but they are not big enough to capture the God I have come to know … a God who not only loves, but is love … a God who is concerned more about those who are left out than the about the “righteous” things I may have left out of my daily routine … a God who is infinitely more concerned with the poor than with what others might consider to be my poor choices.
I have stood in my closet many days wondering if and when I might be able to fit back into the clothes I once wore. The truth is, with each day that becomes less and less likely. If there is any value to be found in keeping them on the shelf, it is to remind me of where I have been and how much I’ve grown. I can be thankful that they covered me during a stage of my growth, but it’s time to let them go. I can no longer allow my proverbial “closet” to be filled with things that no longer fit. I need the space for new acquisitions … ones that fit better with the person into which I have grown.
Do you have something in your “closet” that doesn’t fit quite right … something that you’re holding on to, but need to let go of so that there is room for God’s work in your life?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 2nd, 2024
I’m always interested when I see a restaurant offering a type of food from a specific part of the world or culture with which I am not familiar… especially those that specifically advertise their cuisine as “authentic.” The reality is that in most cases, I probably wouldn’t, on my own, know if something was authentic or not. I can only claim that I do or do not like the food. Left only to my very sheltered upbringing, I might still believe that the food at the local Chinese buffet was authentic. It was, after all, nearly identical to all of the food served at any Chinese restaurants at which I had eaten. (My apologies to any chefs in those restaurants who would be offended by me saying that their food was the same as mass produced buffet food.) It’s no better that my idea of authentic tacos for much of my childhood was … yes, I’ll say it … Taco Bell.
Of course, having traveled abroad since reaching adulthood, I have been introduced to some authentic cuisines from cultures other than my own. I’ll never forget my introduction to broiled fish in Portugal. No one had mentioned that fish is often cooked “as is” and served the same way … head and all. I now know that authentic in America sometimes means authentically Americanized. Though I haven’t been to China, I understand that authentic Chinese food is nothing like what we find in the United States.
I have found that when I want to try authentic food from a culture other than my own, it is best to ask someone familiar with that culture (preferably someone from the culture) for a recommendation. Who would know better than they what is, and what isn’t, authentic… right? I have to say that, although I have an occasional taco from Taco Bell, I have been introduced to authentic tacos by people who know, and there is no comparison. Given the choice, I will always choose authentic (except, of course, when the fish comes to the table with eyes wide open.)
I could go on and on all day with examples of authentic and inauthentic food, but the thing is, food is not the only place in our lives where “authentic” is important. We were created in God’s image, yet we are all unique. Though we have been created by the same “chef,” we all have a different mix of “ingredients,” resulting in a truly authentic self which is a gift from God. Sure, the gifts we have are all wrapped in different packages. If we all had the same gifts and packaging, this world would be incredibly boring. Instead, it is teeming with a richness born of diversity and bound together by a common need to know and be known, to love and be loved, and to fulfill our purpose in life.
Ironically, the place I think we are least likely to be our authentic selves is at church. I, for one, have been accused of being too transparent…sharing things about my life, my struggles, my questions, frustrations, and even some joys. Don’t get me wrong, we share those things … about others … just not ourselves. I have shared things in the past in hopes of modeling vulnerability and transparency in sacred community, only to have them be used against me later. I know the same has been true for others.
Has the world become so competitive, and the church so legalistic, that the depth of personal and communal relationships are limited to the things we can “safely” say and do without fear of retribution or judgement? Or is there hope that we can be the embodiment of Christ in the world … welcoming the stranger and the outcast to our “table” … sharing our authentic selves with one another so that together we can create sacred (“Zionic”) communities that honor what God has created in each of us.
I was, and still am, satisfied with Americanized Chinese food. It’s what I know. If a culturally authentic version of it exists in the US, I haven’t found it. Maybe, if I ever have a chance to try the real thing, I’ll change my mind. What I can say is that I have found people expressing their authentic selves in sacred community … and being celebrated for it, and I can no longer be satisfied with anything less. I believe it is what God desires as well.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 26th, 2024
Remodel or Resurface
In 37 years of marriage, my wife and I have moved more times than I’d like to admit. We’ve never really been in a place long enough to justify making any changes other than repainting a room here and there. At our last house, we had started getting an “itch” for a kitchen redo. When the opportunity presented itself to purchase large slabs of marble (more than enough to redo our small kitchen) from a hotel close out for pennies on the dollar, we jumped in with both feet … hand painting the cabinets and putting in the “new” countertops. Unfortunately, we moved a couple of months later, leaving our updated kitchen to the new owners.
Needless to say, the itch returned recently when other family members began engaging in new kitchen projects. It wasn’t that we didn’t like the kitchen we had, it was just a bit outdated, and, again, we’d never done anything like this for ourselves. So, we began to explore the possibilities and options that were available to us. It didn’t take long for us to determine that a “remodel,” especially one that would require a special designer and architectural drawings to accomplish, was out of the question. All of a sudden, outdated was OK … it would have to be.
Then, we heard resurfacing our cabinets was a much more affordable option… enough so that it was at least worth considering. To make a long story short, we ultimately decided to go with the cabinet resurface plus a few minor cabinet re-arrangements and lighting changes. To the casual observer, our cabinets look brand new and, therefore, so does our kitchen. No one will know if we don’t tell them…right?
Turns out that a resurface is indeed a viable option when it comes to kitchen cabinets. The cost is much lower, and the end product could fool most people. But what about in our walk with Christ? I dare say that, though we all might be able to get away with a quick “resurfacing,” many, if not all, of us are in a little more need of a “remodel” than we’d like to admit. Granted, we were built with the best of materials (ideas, beliefs, values, worldviews, cultural norms, family traditions) available at the time, but some of those “materials” were compromised by less than perfect components (biases, stereotypes, misinformation, limited perspectives, etc.)
Some of those building materials need to be replaced. With advancements in science and engineering (global communications, multi-cultural relationships, cross-cultural education, expanding world views, deeper understandings of the purposes and desires of God and Christ through the Holy Spirit) it is no longer good enough to cover an old, compromised wood frame with an aesthetically pleasing “coat of paint.” It is perhaps because of years of doing just that that we have found ourselves in the place and time we are today … where Christianity, the living Body of Christ in the world, is looked upon with suspicion and skepticism … where people are walking away from “organized religion” in droves because even an aesthetically pleasing façade cannot ultimately hide the aging structure underneath.
Sure, it is more costly to go with a remodel, but a remodel (transformation) of our hearts is what is needed to truly open ourselves to the full mercy and love that God’s offers us, and that we ought to offer to others. Discipleship is costly, but it’s worth every penny. We’ve been “resurfacing” for generations. What do you say we go all the way in and let God start the remodel!?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 19th, 2024
Lost in Translation
Have you ever found yourself wondering if the person you were talking to understood the words you were saying or what you intended to communicate with those words? It might happen in the midst of a debate or a disagreement. It might be a result of misinterpretation or mis-hearing. There are, however, plenty of opportunities for spoken intent to be “lost in translation.” Obviously, when speaking with someone whose native language is different from our own, there is potential for gaps in understanding. Some words do not have an equivalent in other languages. There are also differences in how words are used across countries or geographical areas that speak the same language, and, there may be distinctives within an organization that do not translate easily outside the organization. In all these cases, the differences can leave people confused, frustrated, or feeling left out.
Recently, my wife and I traveled outside the country for a reunion with old acquaintances turned life-long friends. Although the trip was to a country where English is regularly spoken, the dialect and the use of words was different enough to cause occasional confusion. Luckily, we traveled as a group to most places, and our European friends were familiar enough with the local culture to help find the right word(s) when necessary.
On one particular occasion, however, my wife and I set out on a mission to purchase souvenirs for family members. We had a limited amount of time and needed to go directly to a “touristy” area of the local town to do our souvenir hunting. Members of our group who had already obtained their souvenirs, advised us to go to the city center where we were sure to find what we wanted. Apparently, we didn’t make our needs or our planned destination clear to the desk personnel at the hotel. It was a classic case of “lost in translation,” even though all parties were speaking English. Hoodie apparently didn’t translate, and sweater (“jumper” in Irish lingo) didn’t do much to help the situation. After a 40+ minute bus ride, we found ourselves at the “City Center Mall” which was not in the center of the city. It was a mall not unlike any mall in the US, and there were no souvenirs to be found. (For those of you wondering why we didn’t just “Google It,” the only wifi available to foreigners was on the bus that had just driven away.) As soon as we could, we got back on a bus to who knows where, and stayed only long enough to get access to the internet, and locate our preferred destination in relation to our current location so we could get off and walk. No thanks to our communication skills, we eventually found our souvenirs and made our way back to the hotel in time for dinner.
Overall, our experience in Ireland was amazing. In most cases, there were either well laid out instructions/directions that helped us connect without looking out of place, or there were traveling companions with us to show us the way. On “souvenir day,” however, had it not been for our determination to find what we wanted, we might have given up and gone back to the hotel empty handed … and somewhat disappointed.
Sometimes I wonder if that is the experience of persons who visit our churches or join in on our gatherings. How often do our ways of being and doing make people feel like they are on a bus to who knows where … without wifi access? From our worship elements, to the acronyms we use for programming or the ways we tend to migrate towards people with whom we are most familiar and comfortable, we create potential barriers for those who are in need of something … community, comfort, connection. If they weren’t in need, they wouldn’t have come in the first place.
The same can be true in our work places, in our neighborhoods, or in our everyday lives with those we encounter. Jesus followers or not, communication is critical to building strong supportive relationships … not to mention finding our way in a strange place. On the other hand, as followers of Jesus, we have a special call to make sure that Jesus’ love and grace are not “lost in translation” because of something we say or don’t say, or because we didn’t take time to check for understanding. After all, we don’t want people giving up and going “back to the hotel empty handed.”
Let’s commit to being companions for all who choose to join us on our journey … making sure that nothing is lost in translation!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 12th, 2024
Keep Singing
There we were, standing on a stage with people we hadn’t seen in 35-40 years. We were at the University of Limerick (Ireland) celebrating our 40th year reunion with our cast from Up With People. The audience was filled with people full of joyful anticipation of what was to come. They (alumni and family) ranged in age from late 30s to late 80s… those who had travelled before us, and those who came after. Before the night was over, everyone had had the opportunity to be both audience and performer, and to rekindle feelings that had once been the driving force for a rigorous year-long tour.
When we were first together, we were all in our early to mid 20’s. We had hopes and dreams. We were inspired by the groups of people who had gone before, and the visionary leaders who had the courage to “lift up [their] eyes and fix them on a place beyond the horizon”[i] … as together we worked to create a better world by building bridges of communication between people of different ethnicities, nationalities, languages, cultures, and religious beliefs.
Forty years later, this was our moment … to remember and to reconnect. The music began, and it all came rushing back. The memories of relationships built. The passion of standing for something good. The power of unity in diversity. The desire to make a difference. The song we sang was, “Can We Sing a Song of Peace?” And, the words to the first verse were:
“Can we sing a song of peace in a world that’s full of fear?
Can a melody of hope ever hope to dry a tear?
It’s an easy thing to say and it’s so hard to hear.
Will the fighting ever cease, if we sing a song of peace?”[ii]
I realize as I write this that there is something lost by just having the words. Part of the song’s power (as with any song or hymn) comes through the music and the diversity of persons standing together and singing out of conviction rather than obligation. On that night, as we sang those words, I imagined being at a Community of Christ World Conference with voices from around the world all singing in their own language. For a second, I was unable to sing because of the power of the song and the image of a worldwide people singing in true harmony.
In 1984, I had been a “starry-eyed kid” who had not seem much of the world. I had lived in a very sheltered environment where, though I was vaguely aware of fighting in the world, none of it affected me directly… or so I thought. I know better now. And, because of my reconnection with those other “starry-eyed kids” with whom my wife and I had travelled for a year, and from whom we had been separated for 35 years, I also know that it is possible to form sacred community in spite of things that are otherwise perceived as barriers to relationships in today’s world … even, and perhaps especially, time. I know because we had it there among those people.
The last line of the song says, “… the longings never cease, so we sing a song of peace.”
Sacred community is not easy to achieve. It takes the will of the individuals making up the community to bring it to fruition. I don’t know about you, but I will never quit longing for that type of community… for me and for all of God’s children … especially those who have lived their lives in the margins because they are labeled as “different” or “other.” In the end, we are all different. But we all long to love and be loved.
I’m going to keep “singing” (acting, living and embodying) a song of peace so that others might know peace? Will you?
Blessings,
Blake
[i]Doctrine and Covenants 161:1a
[ii] “Can We Sing a Song of Peace?” Words by: Ken Ashby & Paul Colwell Music by: Ken Ashby. Copyright © 1981 by Up with People. https://upwithpeople.org/lyric/can-we-sing-a-song-of-peace/
For the week of July 29th, 2024
Looking in the Mirror
The six words that are guaranteed to make my family move quickly toward the door of any business are, “Can I talk to a manager?” It’s not that I ask that question often, but it has been known to happen. In my defense, I have said it just as many times in order to share a compliment as I have to express a concern. Having been in the service industry as a restaurant manager for a number of years before entering ministry, I am well aware of how nice it is to have a customer share something that has been done well.
Unfortunately, “done well,” was not the words I would use to describe a recent encounter at a local drive through. After having gone through the drive through line and picking up my order, I accidentally dropped a drink, and needed to replace it. I circled back through the drive through, not expecting to receive a complimentary replacement, but simply to buy another drink. I was still holding the now empty cup when I approached the window… approximately 3 minutes after my first visit. I was frustrated…with myself … and was holding the cup out the window so as not to drip anymore of the sticky liquid inside the car. The response of the drive through worker was to give me a look of disgust and utter, “we can’t take trash.” Perhaps the mistake I made was to have tried to explain why I was holding the cup outside the window … an explanation he had neither time nor interest to hear. He simply asked for the money, handed me my new drink and turned his back. I tried to ask for a napkin, but he had moved on and refused to respond…he was done with me.
So, yes, I then asked the dreaded question…”Can I talk to your manager?” I am a frequent customer of this particular establishment and I had never been treated so rudely. Well, suffice it to say that the manager was no more interested in talking with me than the employee. She stepped up to the window, and before I could say anything, she said, “He didn’t do anything wrong, we don’t take trash.” I said, I hadn’t asked to speak to her about the trash, but rather the employee’s dismissive behavior, to which she said, “He’s multi-tasking, we have other customers in line waiting.”
There’s more to the story, but as I’ve reflected on that encounter, the part that comes back to me time and again is the “excuse” that the employee was “multi-tasking.” At first I thought, everyone multi-tasks these days, but that doesn’t give anyone permission to be rude. It was only through a time of reflection (OK… I’ll be honest, it was more brooding than reflecting), that I realized there was a learning moment there for me. I needed to stop and take a look in the proverbial “mirror,” and acknowledge that I am most likely guilty of doing the same thing to someone else.
I am always “busy.” Most of us are. But, in sacred community, we must be able to focus on one another… to make one another feel heard and important, as if they are the only thing that matters, rather than a distraction or a bother.
If I were the manager of the establishment where this recent event took place, I could think of several ways the situation could have been handled better. All I can do, however, is focus on ways that I can handle my own situations better … to pause and to listen … to be fully present with those who are in front of me rather than preparing for the people or things that are “in line.” When it’s their turn, they will get their due attention.
Next time you’re frustrated with someone, consider looking in the mirror. Hopefully you won’t see yourself like I did.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 22nd, 2024
Hang in There
We’ve all seen the meme of an animal (usually a cat in my experience) hanging on for dear life to a rope or vine or wall. And most, if not all of us, have had some type of experience in our life when we’ve felt that we were the object of the meme … waiting for our something to change (our luck, our health, our financial status), or we’re struggling through a situation (the search for a job… or some circumstances in the job we already have, a conflicted relationship, a difficult course in school, an aging and shrinking congregation). In those moments we are the dangling animal. That’s just the way life goes sometimes.
I was reminded of the meme while hiking in the Valles Caldera, “Kettle Valley,” a remnant of a supervolcano eruption over a million years ago. Anyone having been in an area following a volcanic eruption knows that what remains appears to be devoid of life or the possibility of life. The Valles Caldera is a testament to the fact that new life is always possible … though it may take a while. After all, who can wait a million plus years for something new to be born?
The took the picture of the small bush existing on the side of a canyon wall (above) where it’s roots are exposed rather than buried and it hangs on in a crevice formed by a split in the rock face of the canyon wall. Missing are the signs of typical plant growth (fertile soil, nutrients, water source, etc.). And yet, there is life… a plant literally “hanging in there” and, by doing so, standing as a sign of hope against all odds.
Our world is experiencing constant change. It’s as if a supervolcano has erupted and forever changed the landscape of our lives. Things … like church and faith, family and community, grace (benefit of the doubt) and generosity … that were once important, often take a back seat to doubt and suspicion, enmity and division. There are days when the news cycle is changing so fast that it is hard to find something to hang on to.
If you find yourself in a time where you feel that your roots are exposed to the harsh elements without fertile soil in which to rest … that the “nutrients” you need to survive have disappeared like minerals washed down the face of a cliff by a torrential rain … that your stability is threatened by the erosion of the rock on which you have placed your trust …remember that “all things are possible through Christ who gives [you] strength.” (Phil. 4:13) Remember the Israelites looking across the Jordan to the land which God had promised, wondering how they would fare against the odds (and peoples) that seemed to be against them, to whom Moses said, “Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; [God] will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6). Remember the Disciples, facing the reality that Jesus was going to be with God and hearing Jesus say, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:18-19). Remember … and hang in there.
God has always been faithful to fulfill God’s promises. God is still alive and is working in and through (and sometimes in spite of) us. Don’t worry, we won’t have to wait for a million years to see the signs of life growing out of what seems like the aftermath of a supervolcano. God’s timing is perfect. We just have to listen for God’s voice, remain faith-full, and hang in there.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 8th, 2024
Warm “Embrace”
To embrace or not to embrace (aka … to hug or not to hug). I recently wrote about an encounter I had with an individual where the reason for the encounter did not come to fruition. However, the encounter ended with something equally important … a much-needed embrace by the person I had gone to see. The thought of a warm embrace by a family member or friend … even a new acquaintance (depending on the acquaintance, of course) is something that I have always welcomed. I was brought up in an environment where hugs were a common occurrence…especially at church. I realize, of course, that hugs are not everyone’s “cup of tea.”
Interestingly, in recent conversations with a number of young adults who have chosen to stay connected to church when many of their generation (and all other generations for that matter) are choosing to disconnect, I have found that a primary reason for staying is the way they have always been made to feel when in the “church” setting. It’s important to note that I place the word church in quotes, because how they define church is not limited to the traditional view of a single place where people gather weekly for worship. Their understanding of what qualifies as church is expanding. What they describe is more of what I would describe as sacred community, that which can happen within the four walls of a physical building, but does not require walls nor a physical building.
In the context of that expanding understanding of “church,” and the desire to stay connected to that community, the feeling of being in a “warm embrace” when in the presence of that community is a recurring theme… even for some who are less comfortable with the idea.
What is it about a warm embrace that captures the hearts and minds and loyalty of persons regardless of how they actually feel about physical embrace? First, let me be clear that I am talking about an embrace that is shared in Christ-like love and mutual respect. That type of embrace offers, for me, welcome, acceptance, unconditional love, and healing. It communicates what words alone cannot, and it is a kind of “embrace” that we can offer to others without ever touching. It can be experienced by the ways in which we greet and treat one another … the ways we interact with and respond to one another … the ways in which we look at and listen to one another. It is experienced through invitation, and it is accompanied by an offering of grace.
One of the young adults with whom I spoke, shared that every time they walked into a Community of Christ church or a place where church members and friends were gathering in sacred community, they felt like they were being enveloped in a warm embrace. I was both encouraged and challenged by their experience. Encouraged, because I have always heard that no matter where in the world you go, walking into a Community of Christ church is like coming home; challenged, because we sometimes take that for granted … forgetting that everyone entering our sacred community doesn’t have the same depth of experience with regards to welcome and inclusion.
It is my prayer that all of our congregations, whether they be in established church buildings or “new expressions” created to reach those who will never walk into a church building, will be/become places of warm embrace, so that all whom we encounter will feel they have “come home.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 1st, 2024
Proud to Be…
picture by Madison (Flickr)
During this first week of July, perhaps more than any other time of the year in the United States, people from all ethnic backgrounds don their red, white, and blue, and light up their grills in honor of what has become known as the birthday of the nation. Families and friends will gather for picnics and parties, and whole communities will gather for amazing displays of fireworks that light up the night sky and fill hearts, young and old alike, with awe and wonder. Like many other holidays, this federally recognized birthday will allow many to set aside their struggles and worries, and celebrate what is good in life… the ones we love, and the “truths” and values we hold “to be self-evident.” And, I must say, it is right and appropriate for us to celebrate those things.
That said, I have been struggling lately with the growing disconnect between those truths and the lived experiences of all of God’s children. Sometimes I have to make a distinction between being incredibly grateful that I live in a country where I experience freedoms that I might not elsewhere, and being proud of the way in which the country sometimes lives out its identity. The same is true for Christianity. There is never a time when I have been ungrateful for the love and grace of God in my life as a follower of Christ, but there have been many instances when I have not necessarily been proud to call myself a Christian… especially when the actions done and words spoken in the name of Christ do not represent what I understand to be the truths of the Gospel … a gospel of love where all are worthy of God’s grace and the hope of an “abundant life.”
We are free to raise our flags and wear our crosses, but it comes with a cost that we too often forget while we are giving thanks for and celebrating the goodness of our many blessings. As members of the Body of Christ, we are given the responsibility of building the peaceable kingdom here on earth, not just for ourselves, or our nation, or our fellow Christians, but for all of creation.
There are two hymns found in Community of Christ Sings (CCS),[i] that I believe together remind us of our calling not only as disciples of Jesus Christ, but also as global citizens in God’s created world. The first is “Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?,” and the other is “This is My Song.” The first acknowledges the brokenness and loneliness of many in our world, while the second reminds us that we all share in God’s hopes and promises for creation.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied simply being grateful for grace and freedom … to be American and Christian. I want to be able to be proud to be both. The only way that can be possible, however, is if we work effortlessly to work toward a world where how we live is in alignment with our “self-evident” truths. As long as we live as if our skies are the only blue skies, and our hopes and dreams are the only ones that matter to God … even gratitude will slip from our hands…being replaced by apathy and a sense of entitlement.
The final verse of ”Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?” speaks truth when it says, “We’ve so often failed at loving and ignored compassion’s call, drawing back the hand of mercy, we have built dividing walls.” This is happening every day in our world. But there is hope. We can make a difference. We must make a difference so that all can celebrate freedom and experience grace… so that all can be proud to “be.”
It is my hope that as we celebrate our “freedom” this week, we will have the humility to first “ask forgiveness and … claim renewing grace, and … say that all are welcome at this table, in this place.” Then, at least, we can be proud to be … God’s Children.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Community of Christ Sings, A Community of Christ Resource, Herald Publishing House, Independence, MO,2013.
“Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?,” CCS 526
“This is My Song,” CCS 389
For the week of June 10th, 2024
Simple Things
How far would you go to help someone in need? In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, Jesus engages in one of his most memorable “upside down Kingdom” moments when he launches into the “you have heard it said… but I tell you …“ understandings of parts of the Mosaic law. In verse 41, he says “if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (NRSVUE)
Something close to this became a reality for me recently. And, trust me, I wasn’t the hero in this story by any means. As it turns out, a gentleman of minimal means who has been a long-term participant in one of the congregations I serve, found himself with an urgent need. Having been without housing for many years, he had followed an opportunity, traveling with a friend to a location several hours from the town in which he “lived,” and from the church where he attended. Consequently, he also had distanced himself from those who typically offered help in times like these. Suffice it to say that he needed to be present for an appointment in near proximity to the church, but had no way of getting there.
Given the timing and circumstances, and having exhausted all other possibilities, a member of the congregation called and presented the issue to me. Though that individual didn’t ask me directly if I would go get him and bring him back, it became apparent that that was indeed the hope. Remember, I said I wasn’t the hero here. For me, it felt like a huge ask, especially given my current responsibilities. I could think of several “better” ways to spend the four plus hours it would take to make the trip. When it was clear that there were no other options (nor any more plausible excuses on my part), I agreed to make the trip.
I was not convinced this would turn out well. I left my house with only a street address. I had not spoken directly with the individual personally. I didn’t know if he would be at this location. I didn’t know the names of the persons with whom he was staying. There was no way to let him know I was coming. I hadn’t said no, but I was anything but “glad to do it.” (Just being honest.) Things were not helped when first, I couldn’t find the address at the location to which the GPS had led me, and second, when I did find the trailer in question, no one would come to the door. The trailer was dark and quiet.
I called my contact back home, and was talking with them on the phone when a neighbor offered to help. The good news is, we were able to rouse the inhabitants and find the man for whom I was looking. The bad news, he had somehow changed his appointment to a later date and was not interested in going back with me. Though I had earlier resigned myself to the fact that I would be traveling home alone (when I couldn’t find him), I was a little frustrated … to say the least. I was about to turn and go, when he said to me, “Thank you for coming… can I have a hug before you go?” Really?! I wasn’t in a hugging mood in the moment. But, I said yes. He held on for a long moment, and when we separated, he said to me, with tears in his eyes, “I needed that. I haven’t had one in a long time.” My heart melted. His life was barely holding together, and all he wanted was a hug. So, I offered him another.
I hadn’t been asked to walk a mile… not even just two. But the distance no longer mattered. I hadn’t agreed to the trip out of Christian love or charity. I had done it because I couldn’t say no to the person who had asked. I can’t say that God had a hand in the sending, though I wouldn’t deny it either. However, I can say that God had a hand in teaching me something, through this man of little means.
Sometimes we estimate the worth of our service based on the accomplishment of our desired outcome, when the real worth is better measured by the ways in which we meet the needs of others. Sometimes that is through grand gestures, and sometimes it is through simple things … like hugs!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 3rd, 2024
Just Dance
Photo by Carl Wycoff on Flickr
I can’t tell you how many dance recitals my wife and I have been to over the years. Our daughter, now a dance teacher, had started dance classes at the age of three. Recently, we attended a recital at the studio where she teaches. Though we didn’t have children or grandchildren in the recital, we had a pretty good idea of what the dancer’s families were feeling… thinking … wondering. Will my child remember the dance steps? Will they remember to smile? Will they be overcome by stage fright and refuse to come out at all? With each dance group that took the stage, months of hard work would be showcased in a matter of minutes. It was now or never, or so it seemed… for the parents.
Memories flooded in as we sat watching children of all ages parade onto the stage, take their places and waiting for the music to start. One particular group of little girls … probably 3 or 4 years old … was especially memorable. They arrived on stage in their very cute costumes and shiny tap shoes with the help of stage moms. Once they were all in place, the stage lights came up. Fingers crossed, smiles wide, excitement barely contained, nerves rattled (yes, I’m talking about the parents) the moment of truth had arrived.
The girls stood in a perfect line facing the audience just as instructed. And then, the music began. Some of the dancers watched their teachers dance in the wings, occasionally mimicking what they saw happening there. Others, danced to their own internal rhythm. One girl just stood and stared at the audience. And two girls spent most of the time holding their tutus to their chest so that they could see what was below them. We thought they were enamored by the fancy shoes (black patent leather tap shoes) that seemed to have magically appeared on their feet. In reality, our daughter later informed us, they were looking down at the stage to make sure they were still standing on their “mark.”
When the dance was over, the crowd erupted in raucous applause, whistles of approval, and loud words of encouragement. It was as if the Rockette’s had just completed a flawless routine on the stage.
Several times since that evening, I have thought about the two girls so focused on their stage position that they forgot to dance. How often do we, as disciples and followers of Jesus, get so caught up on being in the right place, saying the right things, and following all of the right rules, that we forget to “dance?” We are so intent on not stepping off of the mark, that I’m afraid we don’t even hear the music, much less enjoy it. The Pharisees and Sadducees were constantly trying to catch Jesus and his disciples stepping off the mark (a.k.a. the Law of Moses) that they missed the intent of the law (to love and encourage one another, to live in peace and harmony with one another and with creation so that all experienced God’s mercy and justice.)
I believe that God is like the recital audience … whistling, applauding, and calling out words of encouragement to us no matter how we perform. God honors those who stay “on the mark,” but God also honors those whose focus is distracted by what’s happening “in the wings” … those dancing a half beat or more behind the music … and those dancing with reckless abandon, to a rhythm all their own.
Sure, we need to align our lives with God’s will. We need to do the best we can to love God, ourselves, one another, and creation. We need to lead lives of compassion and justice … not thinking too highly of ourselves … remembering that “God did not send [Jesus] into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, NRSVUE)
Sometimes we need to be on the mark, but sometimes we also need to just dance.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 27th, 2024
Looking Back and Leaping Forward
I worked hard to earn the title of “the fun uncle,” and I worked just as hard over the years to maintain the title as long as possible. Now I’m “the old fun uncle.” I’ve been joined (not replaced) by the younger generation. I’d like to think that my “mentoring,” (a.k.a. modeling child-like foolishness on occasion) had something to do with their ascension to the title. The fact is, I’ve enjoyed having an excuse to tease, tickle and tag along … playing hide and seek, joining water balloon fights, swinging and sliding at the park, and the like.
Though the time comes at some point in our lives when we have to grow up and be adults, there is also great value in remembering to have fun … sometimes reaching back to “the good old days,” and living with joyous abandon. After all, adulting can get tiresome. There are things from our past that will always be a part of who we are. I guess that, along with the arrival of summer and it’s associated memories, is why I was captured by the letter from the editor in the latest copy of the Magnolia Journal.
Here’s what Joanna Gaines had to say…
“If we let it, summer can be both familiar and filled with discovery. This season has a way of resurfacing our younger selves while also prompting us to explore, look ahead, and dare to dream. Those things don’t always come naturally to me, but summer is like a twinkle-eyed guide, inviting me to take the leap.
I’ve found that I feel most like myself when I move through life with a childlike spirit. When I’m experimenting with a new design, braving a horseback riding lesson, or walking in the garden with [my dog] and seeing it through his eyes – those kinds of things wake up the best parts of me. [It’s] an opportunity to look back at the path we’ve walked and pick up that which is worthy of holding again.
Summer naturally encourages this, as we’re invited to stargaze and chase waves and let our feet take the lead. Yet even in summer, as we grow older, plenty of real-life excuses keep us indoors. But what if what’s lost could be found again?
Think about the candid, raw-but-right summers you loved most: maybe spent barefoot and filled with roller coasters and fireflies and blackberries… Sometimes it’s retu7rning to the oldest, purest things about us that inches us closer to who we were meant to be. And sometimes we need the voice of another to call these things out in us, as we can do the same for others. Reclaiming our roots and putting those stakes back in the ground requires something of us – our yes, our leap.”
As summer kicks in, lets take a little time to look back and see what it is that is worth picking back up and holding on to (as well as the things that need to be let go). Let’s especially look to those cherished moments and spirit-filled experiences that led us to align ourselves with Christ through baptism… to become disciples committed to Christ’s mission. Then, let’s say “yes” and take the leap. Joanna ended her letter with the following words, and I think they are an appropriate challenge for us as well…
“Here’s to landing in places we’ve been before. With all the familiarity of home, but also wit a fresh perspective that reveals what’s worth claiming once more.”[i]
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, “a letter from the editor,” Magnolia Journal, May (Summer) 2024, Volume 9, No.2. (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corp, 2024), 10.
For the week of May 20th, 2024
Thin Curtains
One minute, we seemed to be all the same. We were gathered in a crowded waiting area. It was standing room only. People were everywhere … some sat quietly while others were talking animatedly. But, with the exception that some were there for business purposes and some were there for vacation travel, there were not any definitive divisions between people. When boarding began, a few differences became apparent. Frequent fliers, persons traveling with small children, persons needing assistance, and finally boarding groups by number. Still, we were all just regular (equally valued children of God) getting on a plane.
On this particular flight, there were 16 first class, or business class, seats, and about 2 million “economy” class seats. I’m pretty sure both sections took up approximately the same amount of space on the plane. Our seats, of course, were in the “economy” section. However, as it turns out, our seats were only a few rows behind the “business” section. We were almost first class after all. Unfortunately, being almost there simply meant we were constantly reminded of the true meaning of economy. Our allotted space was so small that the persons in front of us were, for all intents and purposes, sitting in our laps for the five-and-a-half-hour flight.
But all of that is expected … right? We knew what we were in for when we decided to make the trip … decided to fly … and chose the seats we did. With the exception of the typical first-class amenities, everyone on the plane was still a child of God and essentially the same.
And … then it happened! When we achieved our cruising altitude, one of the flight attendants in the forward cabin reached up and drew a thin curtain across the aisle, separating the areas of the plane from one another. Granted, if I had paid several thousand dollars more for my ticket, I probably would have wanted a private cabin. In truth, I wasn’t offended by the curtain. If anything, I was saddened. Not so much by its presence, but by the ease with which it created a proverbial line in the sand that divided one group of people from another. It wasn’t about privacy. It was a see-through curtain that didn’t completely fill the space. Its sole purpose was to divide. Something so thin … something so simple … something so insignificant … yet … something so effectively divisive.
The thin, see-through curtain that separated the passengers on our flight is an example of how easily we can be divided. We’ve proven we don’t even need literal curtains. We do it with figurative curtains (age, gender, skin color, religion, opinion, life style, clothing style, values, beliefs). In our highly volatile world where skepticism and suspicion have become more widespread, it doesn’t take much. But we have a responsibility as disciples to expose those “curtains” for what they are … thin see-through vails that are not of God.
We would do good to remember that …
“There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls (curtains) of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.”[i]
Do what you must to preserve your privacy, but beware of thin curtains for they are like wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c (Herald Publishing House)
For the week of May 13th, 2024
Weeds
They seem to show up out of nowhere. Sometimes they stand alone and at other times they spread like wildfire, covering ground with unprecedented speed. Some tantalize our senses with pretty blooms in vibrant colors. They are persistent and hardy, finding footholds in everything from well-tilled, fertile soil to hard dry clay… from wide open fields to the tiniest of cracks and crevices. Most importantly, they are hard to eliminate once they find a home.
As the title of today’s blog suggests, I am talking about weeds. But, I could just as easily be talking about temptations … distractions … negative thoughts … and the like, since these are the making of the “weeds” that invade our lives.
Today, I was at one of the churches that I serve. It was a beautiful day, and I had noticed on a previous trip that the flower beds were filling with weeds and the shrubbery was growing out of control. I decided it was time to do something before it was too late.
To the casual passersby, had it not been for the fact that the grass had been cut, it might appear that the building was not being used. The fact is, the building is being used … on a regular basis. The congregation, small as it is, spends their discipleship time and energy outside of worship maintaining a food pantry and providing groceries to families in the area. I would argue that their priorities are in the right place.
That said, I couldn’t help but make the connection between the condition of the church’s landscape, and what can happen to the condition of our hearts (and in our relationship with God) if we are not careful.
No matter how busy we get or how much good we are doing, the “flower beds” of our lives still needed tending.
As I sat pulling weeds, I lost count of the number of different types of weeds growing in such a limited space. I noticed that in some cases, removing the weeds was fairly simply, requiring only that I grab them as close to the ground as possible and pull gently. Unfortunately, that was not the case for all of the weeds. There were even a few that left the root behind. Only by digging in the dirt/mud was I able to remove the whole weed, and only time will tell if that extra effort was enough.
Likewise, when “weeds” are allowed to grow in our hearts, or even just our schedules, untended, their roots become harder and harder to remove. If we’re being honest, there are some of the weeds that have such pretty flowers that we may consciously or subconsciously decide that we actually like them, and by our inaction, allow them to establish in us a long-term home. Then, of course, there are the “weeds” that we don’t know are weeds until the damage is done.
Whatever the source or the type of weed that wants to grow in us, we must be diligent. We must not get so caught up on the good we are doing with our hands and feet, that we forget to tend to our “flower beds” (hearts). Take it from me… all the good in the world being done can quickly be overshadowed by a fast-growing invasive weed.
We wouldn’t want any casual “passersby” to think, even for a minute, that our “buildings” (lives) are not being used. And, we wouldn’t want the world’s view of God’s house to be obstructed because we were too busy to do a little weeding.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 6th, 2024
What’s Your Favorite Fruit?
Love. Joy, Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self Control. Hopefully, you recognize this list? It is the fruits of the Spirit as found in the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The list is offered “in contrast” (cf. v 22) to the works of the flesh.
I had lunch with a friend on Tuesday of this week. We were talking about relationships, living with integrity, and the role of the “disciple”…a person who calls themselves a “follower of Christ.” My friend shared a story of a budding friendship with a person whom he met due to a shared hobby, and with whom he has since shared a meal on a few occasions. He shared how on his second visit with this new friend, the friend had acknowledged (without prompting) a couple of things he had observed regarding my friend’s character, and what he perceived to be my friend’s way of life…specifically that he was a “man of faith.” It should be noted that my friend said he never mentioned God…never quoted Scripture…never said anything against any other person’s actions. He didn’t proselytize, or preach. He didn’t show his credentials, or flash his “Jesus badge.” He was simply living in accordance as best he could with a choice he made long ago…to listen to the heart of God and live his life with integrity.
Suffice it to say…and I think my friend would agree to this…my friend is not perfect (though pretty darn close in my eyes). But, in reality, none of us are! He makes mistakes (though I’d guess not many). And, let’s face it, we all do!! The point is that he lives his life with integrity; and, because of that, others recognize in him something different.
I share this story because we (our church, our communities, our nation, and our world) could use a reminder of the importance of integrity…of truth-telling…of manifestations of the fruits of the spirit. If we set before ourselves the fruits of the spirit as a goal to measure how close to the Word we are living our life…if we establish a lifelong pattern of values, behaviors, and relationships that can serve not only as a “banner” for others to observe, but also as a corrective for ourselves on those occasions when our humanity slips in and causes us to stumble…and if we refuse to allow our pride to keep us from taking responsibility for our mistakes, but instead seek reconciliation and healing…the “tree” that is our life will flourish and bear fruit.
Why wait…It’s Spring, and there is no better time to nurture the tree so that the fruit will grow.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 29th, 2024
“The Rest”
It was a song by En Vogue that came out in 1992, and it was all about the way people allow stereotypes regarding the color of people’s skin to make judgements about them. To this En Vogue says, “Free your mind, and the rest will follow. Be color-blind, don’t be so shallow.”[i] Even though I sang along with the lyrics back in the day, I have to admit I was more focused on the beat than the lyrics. What can I say, I love to dance. But neither the message of the song nor the beat were what brought the song to mind last week as I sat on a sixth floor balcony overlooking a Caribbean beach.
For the first time since the inception of cell phones or personal computers, I committed to a (mostly) “unplugged” week of vacation. I say mostly because I did take a tablet for reading and playing games. But… no phone … no computer … not even a watch. If you know me at all, you know that’s a huge undertaking. So huge, that my family doubted whether or not I could do it, and, if I’m being honest, I had my doubts as well. Of course, once I committed to it, there was no way I was going to break down … even though I had a million (very good) reasons why I ought to take my phone … just in case.
Well… I’m happy to say that, not only did I survive, I had the most relaxing vacation I have ever had.
I think it’s fair to say that I am not the only one who fails miserably in the work/life balance arena of life. How many times have you hit the ground running and worked late into the evening? How many times have looked back over a multi-week… sometimes multi-month … period and realize that you’ve not taken one full day off in all of that period of time. Don’t get me wrong… for me, it’s no one’s fault but my own. I fail to set appropriate boundaries. I attempt to respond to needs as quick as possible. I tell myself that answering one phone call or responding to a couple of emails won’t hurt. But, one thing leads to another and hours pass, and the “day off” is gone. I rationalize it all by saying that I like to be busy … I’m wired that way. Sound familiar?
Then there was the balcony, and the beach, and long conversations over bottomless cups of coffee, and I realized that I’m also wired for that. And on one of those quiet mornings, before the sun had fully risen, the song popped into my mind… “free your mind, and ‘the rest’ will follow.” I can’t even tell you when was the last time I had heard the song, but there it was. I had needed rest, and it was there, just waiting for me to let go. Not only was my life not frantic, I found that my time with God took on a different air.
I’ve had bosses, colleagues, school counselors, family members, and friends try and tell me that I would be better off if I found some time for “the rest.” I have preached sermons about Jesus’ time spent on mountains and hillsides, and in gardens. I’ve encouraged others to find time for “the rest.” And still, I didn’t get it myself. What can I say, many of us have a little “Peter” in us. What we need is a little more God … a little more Jesus.
Maybe unplugging is not something you’re ready to do. I know it would be hard for the younger generations. But, whatever it is you need to free yourself from so that “the rest” can follow, I encourage you do find a way. Perhaps it includes a beach. Maybe it’s a mountain stream or a mountain peak. Maybe it’s just an intentional time set aside to simply “be.”
Free your mind, and “the rest” will follow!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] En Vogue, “Free Your Mind” from ‘Funky Divas’ (Atlantic Records Division East West, March 24, 1992)
For the week of Apr 22nd, 2024
Remember when you were a kid and dandelions weren’t so bad…when it was fun to blow on the little white “fluff balls” that were produced and watch the seeds fly through the air? Perhaps I led a sheltered childhood, but I remember having contests with friends to see who could pick the most dandelions without “losing” any of the seeds, or seeing whose little seedlings would travel the farthest on the wind. Who knew something so attractive and tempting could be so destructive?
Funny that as I look out over my lawn during prime dandelion season…they are no longer attractive or tempting. I still find myself trying hard to pull the pods off of the dandelions without “losing” any of the seeds, but not because I want to win a contest, but rather because I don’t want them to spread.
I found myself thinking about all the things I did as a kid (and lived to tell about it) that seemed good at the time but would be grounds for great concern now. For instance, it’s probably not a good idea to let your kid sleep in the back window of the car while on a road trip…or stand on the front seat between mom and dad while driving down the road….without a seatbelt (unless you call dad’s right arm a seatbelt).
Some of the things we did were not harmful to us…directly… but may have caused great harm to others. We told jokes that singled out individuals and/or groups of people. We called people things that would not have been considered flattering…some that were downright mean…but they were OK because they were “nicknames.” We performed skits at campfires that humiliated others….remember the candy store with the “two suckers on a stick,” or the lawnmower that would only start when the cord was pulled by a “big jerk.”
Yes…we were just kids, and we were just having fun. We didn’t mean to be mean… at least not most of the time.
Here’s the thing… we aren’t kids anymore! We know better! God has called us by our name and we no longer need to prove to ourselves or to anyone else that we are better… or more important… or more worthy than others. What we do have to do is learn to live in sacred community.
A dandelion, at first glance is actually a beautiful plant. However, when you get closer, you see that it doesn’t only grow “up”…it grows “out”… dominating its surroundings…choking out the grass around it…casually spreading its seeds and multiplying its destructive power. The same is true for the bad habits and behaviors that are disguised and protected as “our rights” in spite of how they affect others.
In reality behaviors that served our own egos … behaviors that threatened our safety and the safety (physical or emotional) of others were never OK. Not even “when we were kids.” So… now that we are no longer kids … the only “growing out” we should be doing is growing out of those bad habits and behaviors … seeking to build others up … and thereby building the Peaceable Kingdom.
As the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Ephesus:
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4:14-16
Our actions and words can be like dandelion seeds … floating on the air …. appearing harmless … seeking fertile ground in which to root and grow. Hopefully, however, they will be more like “weed and feed” … eliminating that which is annoying and destructive and causing that which is good to grow.
May our growing season “promote the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 15th, 2024
A Soft Spring Rain
Picture by ~jar{} on Flickr
Growing up on the Gulf Coast, I was used to storms coming in quickly and often leaving just as quickly. There were many afternoons on Pensacola Bay when we could literally watch the front line of the storm “march” across the water. Those rains were often heavy… leaving puddles where the ground couldn’t absorb the water as fast as it was falling. Of course, similar rains come along from time to time here in the Midwest. But, because I don’t live as close to an open body of water (30 miles as the crow flies… two hours by car), we don’t get to witness their dramatic approach.
I may be wrong, but it seems like in our part of the “Midwest,” soft summer rains are more prevalent. You know, the kind that start with hours or days of overcast skies before the first raindrop falls. Then, when it comes, it stays, slowly soaking the ground, refilling ponds, strengthening crops… all the things that water does.
Yesterday was one of those days. When I left home for the day, the skies were gray, and a cool breeze was blowing. Not too long after I left, small drops (more like a light mist) of water began to show on the windshield. With each passing minute, the precipitation increased. From mist to scattered drops and from scattered drops to a light steady rain. As a person who dreads the gray skies of winter and the lack of sun, I would expect to feel a tinge of gloom under such circumstances, but instead, I was comforted.
Many times in my years of ministry, I have led activities where I asked the group to create their own parable, asking them to complete the sentence, “The kingdom of God is like…” using images that resonated with them. In the midst of yesterday’s rain, I found myself completing the sentence … “The Kingdom of God is like a soft spring rain.”
There is actually something comforting, at least for me, in the rhythmic sound of the rain gently landing on the ground, roof, side of the house, or, in this case, the windshield. Truthfully, it was almost too comforting … more like hypnotizing (something you don’t want to happen when you’re driving.) As the rain continued to fall, I was taken back to times sitting in my favorite chair with a blanket, a book, and a warm cup of coffee … feeling warm, comfortable, and safe.
When I think about the Kingdom of God … a place, or a way of being, which I imagine to be peaceful, equitable, just, inclusive and welcoming … a place where greed and envy and animosity and hurt and anger are not present because people live as though there is enough to go around, and competition for resources is unnecessary … a place where the love of God slowly soaks and saturates hardened hearts, refilling empty spirits, and nourishing what God is waiting to grow in us … a place where all are warm and comfortable and safe … I am filled with hope and anticipation, rather than gloom and despair. That’s not always the case with rain, but it was this time.
No drama, no lightning and thunder, no strong winds or catastrophic headline making weather events, just a soft spring rain that, like God’s love, fills every crack and dry spot, making way for new life … in a peaceable kingdom.
Let it rain!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 8th, 2024
Eclipse
Photo by Chad Godfrey
Hundreds of thousands of people drove hours … perhaps days … to be in the path of what would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Special events were planned. Hotels were filled. Tents were pitched. People who probably otherwise would never have met, bonded over chance connections in a great variety of settings … large venues, hotel parking lots, highway shoulders and off ramps, even remote campgrounds. For many, it would be life-changing in a way they might not even be able to articulate.
My brother-in-law was one of those who had made the trip, packing a tent and the necessary items to cook his meals, he headed off to be a part of this extraordinary event. Fully prepared to experience this alone, he was pleasantly surprised to be surrounded by persons from a variety of backgrounds united by the same desire. The event was everything he expected and more. There, in a remote campground in southern Illinois, none of the dividing lines and divisive issues got in the way of the forming of community. That which they awaited took precedence over everything else. Food and drink were shared. Photography techniques were shared. And, most importantly, a moment of breath-taking wonder was shared.
Unfortunately, I chose not to make the drive to a place where the total eclipse could be witnessed. I was too “busy.” Thankfully, even from several hundred miles away, the effects of the eclipse were felt. Even though I knew something significant was taking place far away, I felt a small connection. As my brother-in-law shared his experience though, I found myself experiencing a little twinge of regret. It would have been better to be there.
As I heard the news reports of the gatherings, and listened to the stories my brother-in-law shared, I couldn’t help but think about the crowds that gathered along the path that Jesus trod. I imagine that some traveled far distances, battling the crowds, and perhaps arriving early to get a “front row seat” in order to see this “phenomenon” that was getting so much hype. It was, for them, a life-changing experience. Unlike the moment of darkness experienced at the height of the eclipse, however, the passing of Jesus was the light of the world overcoming the darkness that the people were experiencing everyday in their lives.
I found myself wondering if the church isn’t just experiencing an extended “eclipse.” At first, people came from all over to witness this phenomenon that was to bring hope and love and grace and justice … true shalom, only to have the church become a place not so unlike the rest of the world. Slowly but surely, following a set of rules became more important than “love God and love your neighbor as yourself,” “pray for your enemies,” and “in as much as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.” In some ways, we have let the “phenomenon” pass … waiting for his imminent return to fix everything, rather than being the bearers of the light he gave us to share with the world.
I wish I had made the choice to see the naturally occurring eclipse. There’s no going back now. But, what I (and all of those who claim the name of Christ) can do, however, is to remember the sharp distinction between the moment of utter darkness followed by the bright light of the sun, and apply that to our witness. Perhaps if our times of gathering were a phenomenon where people could experience the sheer joy of Christ’s light in a place where dividing lines and divisive issues didn’t hold sway. Maybe if our times of gathering were moments of breath-taking wonder shared in sacred community, we would be able to end what can seem like a never-ending eclipse that overshadows the church and the mission of Christ.
We are called to be the light of Christ. May our light shine so bright that even those who are hundreds of miles away will know that something is taking place. May our love for others become the phenomenon people travel hours … even days … to experience.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 1st, 2024
Chosen
photo by Nick Kocharhook – Flickr
The word “chosen” can bring with it feelings of elation, but it can also be the grounds for less positive feelings. Take, for instance, children on a school playground where designated persons are given the responsibility of choosing teammates for a variety of games. There are some children who are chosen quickly because of their popularity or their innate athleticism, while others dread the thought of even going out to play, knowing that they will only be chosen when there are no other choices to be had. Unfortunately, being chosen, or not chosen, does not end on the playground. Only one person can have the lead in the school play. Only one person can get the scholarship. Only one person can be chosen for the promotion at work. Only one person can be chosen to win the “Grand Prize.” Only one. In life, for every one who IS chosen, there are many who are not.
I know that there are many, especially those who are more competitive in nature, who have learned to live with the fact that one cannot always be chosen. After all, there are always going to be winners and losers. Right? Those persons argue against the likes of “participation trophies.” For them, the absence of competition breeds apathy and complacency. Why work hard at or for something if everyone is going to get the same prize in the end? (Is anyone else thinking about the parable of the workers in Matthew 20?)
There may be some truth in that, but the reality is that chosen-ness also stretches beyond competitions, promotions, and prizes, etc. It can draw lines in the sand based on ethnicity, skin color, political affiliation, age, religious beliefs, lifestyle. It defines acceptable relationships and friendships. It has been used to refer to whole groups of people, and as a result to exclude others.
For the past couple of years, the series, “The Chosen” has gained in popularity. At first, I only heard about it from friends and family members. Now there are advertisements for it all around. Actually, I find the title of the series to be a bit ironic. Of course, I understand what is meant by it, but, speaking of choosing, I wonder if Jesus would have chosen to be known by that moniker. I ask that question because this idea of being chosen is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. One of the passages that appears in the lectionary cycle this Easter season is John 15:9-17 in which we find the words, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”
The way I see it, there are two ways to read these words. One is that we do not (and did not) initiate the relationship with Christ. It is God, through Christ, who has done the choosing. And, the great news is … there is no limit, line, or exclusion in the choosing. The other is that, even though we (humanity) have chosen gods other than God time and time again … even though we have at times avoided choosing at all … God still chooses us. There is nothing we can do to be un-chosen.
If you’ve ever been one of those left on the sidelines when the teams have been chosen … if you have ever wondered if a little more practice or hard work would help you make “the cut” … if you’ve ever been made to believe that you are not worth choosing … hear this … You are chosen by God, and you are loved with a love beyond your wildest dreams.
And for the record … so is everyone else. No participation trophies necessary. God’s love is enough.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 24th, 2024
How Will We Know?
In 1996, on her self-titled album, Whitney Houston released the song “How Will I Know”. For those unfamiliar with the song, it was a song that asked the question, “How will I know if he really loves me?” It would be perfect for my purposes here if the song was about whether or not JESUS loved her. But, of course, it had nothing to do with Jesus at all.
That said, it is a question that was asked long before 1986, and long after the newness of the song wore off. In the Christian community, and among those trying to determine if there is a place for them in Christian community, it has been around since the beginning. And, I imagine, it will not soon lose its place…not as long as there are those in our world, in our communities, and in our pews who feel marginalized, unworthy, other, and “less than”.
Imagine, if you will, what the disciples must have been feeling on the days following that first Easter. Sure, Jesus had appeared to them…he had made it known that he had risen and that death had not had the final word. But, when all was said and done, for all intents and purposes, he was gone (or would be very soon!). There would be no daily pep talks or beatitudes, and no one to cook them fish on the beach. How would they know that they were loved…that they had not been abandoned? Well, the answer was quite simple…they would know because they had each other. They would know because they had been gifted with a sacred community of persons created in God’s image and called to be the body of Christ in the world.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans (10:12-15) we find these words…
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written [Isaiah 52:7], “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
As followers of Jesus, we have heard; but, for those who haven’t heard about or experienced the unconditional love of Christ and the value of sacred community, “how will they know”?
As we move from Lent into the season of Easter, we can’t let the message of Easter (“He Lives”) be just another catchy phrase recited one day a year. We must be the “beautiful feet” that bring the good news so that they will know! We have been sent for that purpose!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 18th, 2024
Pass it On
“What a wondrous time is Spring, when all the trees are budding. The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming.”[i]
If you’ve ever sat around a church campfire singing, you likely now have a tune running through your head. And perhaps that tune is accompanied by sweet memories of times spent with friends and family, huddled around a fire at the end of a long day. For me, it brings back more fond memories than I can even count.
As I sat in my office today (the first official day of Spring), looking out at the beautiful sunshine and noticing the buds on the trees, the tune to this old familiar campfire song came to mind. I was immediately in the presence of people with whom I have shared deeply meaningful experiences, and more importantly, people who believed in me… loved me for who I was in the moment … served as surrogate family during week-long camps … challenged, encouraged, and mentored me … taught me what it meant to love the “unlovable,” treat “others” with kindness, include the “outcasts,” and look beyond physical characteristics, political affiliation, economic status, etc. when determining someone’s worth.
What I could see out the window, however, was a little different than what I experienced when I stepped outside. You see, the calendar knows that it’s Spring. The trees and the flowers know that it’s Spring. The kids waiting anxiously for the end of day school bell to ring know that it’s Spring, but … someone apparently forgot to tell the breeze and the weather. It may be Spring somewhere, but our ten-day forecast still includes the possibility of snow. As happens almost every year, there are hope-filled days where the temperatures rise into the upper 60’s and lower 70’s, giving everyone (including the flowers and trees) a false sense of security.
That’s not too unlike the way some days can feel in real life. What we envision “through the window” is not always what we experience when we “go outside.” And yes, it can even be how some people, both new to a relationship with God and the Body of Christ as well as those brought up in church, experience church. The things they see and hear about warm and welcoming sacred community online and in statements of belief don’t always match what they find when they walk through the doors of a church, or encounter “real” live Christians on the street.
Tree buds hang on for dear life and flowering plants push their heads through the soil with fierce determination, knowing that the warmth of Spring will come, but people are typically less determined to weather the cold in hopes that warmer days are coming. They are more likely stay tucked in or look for “warmer climates.”
It is our responsibility, as those who have experienced Christ, and know of God’s unconditional love to intentionally live in Christlike ways of welcome, and forgiveness, and love … offering grace … creating safe (sacred) space for all of God’s children to grow and thrive … not just survive.
In God’s kingdom, trees bud, birds sing, flowers bloom, and God’s children care for one another … in spite of their differences. Warmth abounds. As the song says, “that’s how it is with God’s love … once you’ve experienced it, you want to sings … it’s fresh like Spring. You want to pass it on.”
Someone is waiting for the warmth of your “light.” Take hold of the warmth of God’s light (love) and pass it on!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] From “Pass
it On,” Kurt Kaiser, 1969 Bud John Songs, Inc. Capitol CMG Publishing.
For the week of March 11th, 2024
Finding Balance
The day started off pretty normal. As long as things went as planned, I would be able to accomplish everything on my list and it would all happen “on-time.” But that’s not how things go … at least not in my life. Within three minutes of getting on the interstate, I found myself at a complete standstill. I don’t know about you, but I will never understand how, on a four to six lane interstate where the speed limit is 70 miles an hour, it is even possible to become so jammed up that everything and everyone comes to a complete stop… unless, of course, there is an accident in the middle of the road.
There are many times when I have made it to the point on the highway where things just magically open up, only to find no obstacle… no accident … no explanation. Today, there was an explanation. There was, in fact, an accident involving a small vehicle and a large freight truck. Three out of four lanes were closed or blocked by emergency vehicles. Surely, it had been a while since the accident, because it would have taken a while for all of those rescue vehicles to arrive, set up blockades, and divert traffic. Add to that the distance from the accident in which I first encountered the slow down, and I’m guessing that the amount of time between the accident and the time I actually reached the site had been more than an hour. And yet, the vehicles had not been removed. Debris still covered the road.
While waiting in what was only slightly more mobile than a parking lot, I heard several horns blowing. I looked into the rearview mirror to see if someone was randomly changing lanes and cutting people off (as is common practice near my home), but seeing none, I could only assume it was some impatient drivers thinking that blowing their horns would magically make the traffic start moving again. Guess what… it didn’t work.
The reality is that major “collisions” (decisions, changes, losses, unexpected announcements) can leave a lot of debris. And, that debris can take a while to pick up. In those instances, there will be some who simply want to blow their horn, use the shoulder to skirt traffic and move on. Some will wait patiently, acknowledging that sometimes things don’t go as planned, yet knowing that in the end they will reach their destination. And still others will forget about where they were headed, and focus instead on the pain and suffering being experienced by those directly affected by the collision, and perhaps even stopping to help pick up the broken pieces. If I’m being honest, I have been each of those people on different days or times in my life. Perhaps the same is true.
We, Community of Christ, have recently experienced such a “collision” with the announcement of the sale of historic sites that have held, and still hold, untold value to many in our tradition. In response, there has been a spectrum of emotion and response. We have heard some honking horns from those looking to pass on the shoulder and move on. No doubt, the sale has offered some financial security to our shared mission as well as opened doors to new possibilities for sharing Christ’s light with the world. We have also heard, however, the cries of those for whom the news was devastating and who feel crushed by the intensity of the collision. For those, the debris is still strewn across “the road.” The debris of broken spirits … debris that will take a little while to “pick up” … and to heal.
My prayer is that we, as a people … a sacred community of disciples who believe in the worth of all persons as well as the call to engage in Christ’s mission … can find a balance between picking up the broken pieces and moving on … between listening with compassion and pursuing mission with abandon. May we be patient with one another, remembering who it is that unites us as well as that to which we are called.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Mar 4th, 2024
Build Up or Tear Down
The events of the past few days have loosed a torrent of emotions for members and friends of Community of Christ. For some it is a time of loss, while for others it is an opening up of new possibilities. It is important for us to recognize that all of the emotional responses are valid based on each individual’s personal experience. What will determine how we weather any “storm” caused by diversity of experience and opinion is how we treat one another in the midst of that “storm.”
Though their reason for division was about something else completely, we need to remember Paul’s words to the Galatians…
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh … now the works of the flesh are obvious … enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions …
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
–Ephesians 5: 1, 13-15, 16, 20, 22-25
Some may quickly notice that I have left out some of the list of the “desires of the flesh.” Too often we want to limit that list to the desires that center on things of a sexual nature, passing over the items listed here … assuming them to be somehow less “immoral.” The reality is that they are likely to be at least equally prevalent (I would argue that they are more so) and equally immoral given our understanding of the two greatest commandments.
It is my hope and prayer that, as we all work through the emotions we experience in the face of potentially divisive issues, we will work diligently to hold one another in prayer, treat one another with compassion, listen to one another with grace, and avoid the use of divisive language, speculation, rumor, name calling, and judgement. Let us not forget that when one of us is diminished, we are all diminished.
We have within us the power to lift up, and the power to tear down. May we always choose the former.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 26th, 2024
Strike a Match
The journey to the cross during Lent is a time of reflection, contemplation, repentance, and lament. It is a time when we are encouraged to come face-to-face with those things within us that keep us from being fully able to experience the presence of God in our midst as a community as well as in our individual lives. Even if we are completely honest with ourselves and with each other during this time, we are able to bear the weight of the truth of our struggles and shortcomings because we know what happens at Easter. We know that death and destruction and darkness will not be victorious. God will have the final say.
But what about when real struggles occur in our lives? The journey of Lent is in some ways figurative. Though our shortcomings are real, many of us are blessed beyond measure and don’t truly experience personal lament as a part of a calendar season. Our times of lament come in unexpected ways and times. The loss of a loved one… a job… a place to call home. Broken relationships, memory loss, decreasing mobility. Domestic abuse, childhood bullying, debilitating learning disabilities. These things don’t happen on a schedule. They are not limited to a 40-day season.
Our challenge is to be able to remember, not only during Lent, the amazing and steadfast faithfulness of our God who never leaves us, always forgives us, and loves us more than we can even imagine. It is good for us to focus for a season on these characteristics of God, but it is more important for us to write them on our hearts so that in times of trouble, we can draw on that strength … hold on to that light … be embraced by that hope. We have to choose to remember. Otherwise, we might fall prey to the darkness.
Christian artists, Matt Maher and Rend Collective, have a song called “Hallelujah Anyway”[i] that really gets to the heart of our need to remember…
I’ll find a way to praise You from the bottom of my broken heart
‘Cause I think I’d rather strike a match than curse the dark
Yeah I’ll find a way to thank You though the bitterness is real and hard
‘Cause I’d rather take a chance on hope than fall apart
I don’t think I’m ready to surrender to the dark
Chorus
Even if my daylight never dawns, even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise, even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found,
Even if … my heart will somehow say Hallelujah anyway!
I hear a hymn of triumph in the wilderness of my lament
In the lowlands or the mountain tops I won’t forget
All that goodness that You have shown me, the promises that You have kept
There’s better days on the horizon up ahead.
Don’t give in to darkness! Choose hope. Strike a match. And, remember you are not alone.
Blessings, Blake
[i] Gareth Gilkeson, Chris Llewellyn, Matt Maher, “Hallelujah Anyway” © 2022 Capitol CMG Paragon; Rend Family Music; Be Essential Songs; Caroco Songs; CCLI License: 3537531; Streaming Plus License: 21491981
For the week of Feb 19th, 2024
Bad Breath
I’d like to think that, generally, I am not a complainer. I try very hard to see the good in people and in things. But… I realize that there are days when annoyances seem to pile up and I can’t help myself… the complaints begin to fill my head. And, if things get bad enough, they can even begin to spill out. I’m not proud of those days. I’m just being honest.
A couple of days ago, I had one of those “spilling out” days. I recognized that it was happening and decided to take a brief break from the project on which I was working. I needed a brief distraction that would allow my frustrations to melt away and help refocus my attention on something more positive. You might assume that the first place to which a minister would turn would be the scriptures. My frustrations, however, were not spiritual in nature. (Yes… I realize that all things are spiritual.) It’s just that I thought what I needed was a good laugh. So, I turned to Instagram.
Our family has some favorite animal feeds that we like to follow. Few things cheer me up like a funny animal video. And, of course, there are other amusing things that pop up from time to time. On this particular day, as a matter of fact, there was a post that at first appeared to be of a stand-up comic. The reel started out like this, “You know what I think? Complaining is like bad breath.”
As it turns out, it wasn’t a stand-up comic, it was a preacher, (Robert Madu Jr. from Dallas Social, @robertmadu), and he said he had a solution to complaining. He said, “whenever you start complaining or someone around you starts complaining, just get you a little ‘entitle-mint.” Like when you’re in your car and you get frustrated because there is traffic, you need to stop and take an “entitle-mint.” Rather than complaining, thank God that you have a car… and a place to go. He reminds his listeners that the people who don’t complain about traffic are the people who are walking. Another example lifted up is those who get completely bent out of shape when their barista gets their order wrong (like using oat milk instead of the 2% milk as requested). Time for an “entitle-mint.” Rather than getting all upset, take a minute to thank God that you can afford to have a barista make your coffee. There are 2.2 billion people in the world who don’t have access to clean water, and we get upset because our latte is made wrong.
The Instagram reel could not have appeared at a better time. It was what I myself needed to hear. And, it was especially appropriate given that this is the season of Lent … a time when we are encouraged to be introspective, to remember all that God has done for us, and to think about all the things (attitudes, actions, reactions, habits, etc.) that we need to clean up or eliminate in our lives so that we can live fully into the image of God and become carriers of Christ’s light to the world.
I had already committed to an added spiritual practice for Lent, but I realized in that moment that I needed to add something truly sacrificial… I need to give up complaining. I’m not sure if I’ll be successful, but I picked up a pack of breath mints to carry around to remind myself of just how blessed I am. Because God knows, there are days when I could use an entitle-mint … or two.
The Instagram reel ends with the Pastor Madu saying, “God doesn’t inhabit the complaints of [God’s] people. [God] inhabits thanksgiving (praise).
Need a mint? Nobody likes bad breath.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 12th, 2024
Focus on the Light
This edition of “From the Desk of… was adapted from a sermon I gave at Libertyville Community of Christ…
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 into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. John 1:1-5 (NRSVUE)
I was reminded recently of the importance of light… and what light can do. My family and I were attending a play, and I am always amazed at what can be done in such a small setting to create something larger that life… multiple settings that ignite your imagination and help you to see possibilities you hadn’t considered. Of course, some of that is done with the creative design of sets and backdrops … but none of that would be possible without the skillful use of lighting.
Genesis tells us that at the beginning of creation, God created light and, seeing that it was good, separated the light from the darkness. In the theater, the effects of this separation of light and darkness focuses our attention on what really matters. We are drawn to the light. There can be lots of things going on in the background, but even the smallest of spotlights focused on a spot in a remote location on the stage can bring order in the midst of chaos. That is the power of light.
Of course, our attention can be drawn to the shadows. There is something, perhaps curiosity, that makes us want to look away from the light and peer into the shadows to see what is going on there, but if the lighting staff are doing their job well, the majority of the audience will be able to tune out the distractions and remain connected to the story they have come to see.
Isn’t that the way it is in our lives sometimes. God has separated the light from the darkness, and the light is Christ. We know that. We have experienced that. We proclaim that, and yet at times our attention is drawn to the shadows. Sometimes our curiosity, our pride, and our desire to be in control … to know what is going on all around us … to see what is lurking in the shadows …become like magnets that divert our focus away from the light… even if only for a minute.
I spent some time in theater during college. I know how the stage works. I don’t need to focus on the “how.” But still, I sometimes find myself peering intently into the darkness to see how the stage changes are being done, instead of focusing on the action of the play. Ultimately, I know the stage movements are going to happen. I know that the play is going to go the way that the writer intended. I just have to have faith, and remain focused on the light.
Again, for us, that light is Christ… “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
God, by means of the Holy Spirit, continues to spotlight the places where our attention should be focused, drawing us away from the shadows of our world, into God’s perfect future. We just need to believe and stay focused on the light.
One way or another, this “story” will end the way the “writer” intended.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 5th, 2024
Rise Up
Then Jesus … came to the tomb. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”[i]
We’re all familiar with the story of the raising of Lazarus found in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel According to John. We live in the faith that what is dead (or appears to have died) … even for four days … even after the stench of death has begun to set in … can be brought back to life.
Over the past couple of decades has we have witnessed what some have thought to be the dying of the church … the Body of Christ. And, no doubt, the cause of Christ has had setbacks in that time. Part of that, I believe, is due to the fact that many whom Jesus would have described as “the least of these,” have found it to be a place of exclusion rather than inclusion, judgement rather than grace, and yes … hypocrisy rather than humility and integrity. Another reason is the growing perception, in a world where individualism and self-sufficiency has led many to worship other gods.
The result is that those remaining in the church are aging, tired, discouraged, It often feels as if we are spinning our wheels, and for what? Is it enough to simply exist as the Body of Christ…to go through the motions of “doing church?” I actually understand the frustration … I get that some would like to bind up their “wounds” and walk into their “tombs,” and roll the rock into place…. to say enough if enough. But our churches weren’t built to become tombs, but that is what they are in danger of becoming … if we are left to our own devices.
The reality is that Christ is standing outside our churches calling us to “come out” … to rise up … to cast off the things (doubts, feelings of inadequacy, etc.) that bind us, and be the living embodiment of Christ in the world. The music group Cain, has a song called “Rise Up (Lazarus)” that expresses this sentiment. The chorus reminds us of the power of God in Christ to bring to life that which has died (or seems to be dying) and challenges us to not give up hope.
“Come on and rise up, take a breath, you’re alive now.
Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us out from the grave like Lazarus?
You’re brand new, the power of death couldn’t hold you
Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us out from the grave like Lazarus?
He’s calling us to walk out of the dark. He’s giving us new resurrected hearts.”[ii]
So come on now and rise up! Hope is waiting just outside!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] John 11: 38-44 adapted. (NRSVUE)
[ii] CAIN. “Rise Up (Lazarus).” Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. 2020.
For the week of Jan 29th, 2024
Family Connections
There is something that happens when people are intentional about their relationships … not only how they come together, but also how they prepare to be in each other’s presence, and how they invest in one another once there. “Families” are formed. Of course, the groups might include those who are already biological related, but family is so much more than that. I have a shirt that reads, “Family is more than blood.” I also know many people whose “family” has nothing to do with biology. The point is, having a family with whom to connect is important, no matter it’s genetic connection.
The following is an excerpt from an article entitled, “Capturing Connections,”[i] by Joanna Gaines in which she reflects on the importance of maintaining connection. Though it is a story based on biological family, I think it has a lot to say about how we connect as members of God’s family…
When we dropped off our oldest son at college this fall, I did what I imagine most mothers due when their firstborn leaves the nest: counted the days until Christmas…Holiday break would mean three whole weeks. Long enough to stock the fridge with his favorites and meal-plan all the dishes I was sure he’d miss. Long enough for rhythms to return… the boys, talking over each other while a videogame fills the background. The crack of an egg after midnight as the girls bake a batch of something sweet, their half-hearted whispers… I can only describe it as a current of camaraderie, the sort of connection that only seems to flow in and exhale when walls are down, feet are up, and souls are at ease.
It’s not that life … changed all that drastically since our oldest moved out. Still, I want… to give him a change to fall back into that flow. Into conversations we’d left open… I want to hear life pouring in and out of every room and conversation. And I want [him] to feel as if the impression he’s made in our home remained even when he didn’t.
I’m thinking about this now because I’ve learned that I want to be intentional about creating that space for my kids to connect … Yet, when I think back 10 years ago, I couldn’t have convinced any of them to leave each other alone. Connection as a family looked so different then … At some point, what once brought us together naturally started to change, so connection became something to cultivate more purposefully.”
Joanna, of course, is a designer, so the article ends with the importance of design for creating connection. That said, I going to take the liberty of adapting her conclusion in order to make a clear connection of all of this to our context of “family connections” …
“Before [church] can become a feeling, it begins as a place… making sure furniture placement allows for ease of conversation – and then letting it say something more, whether it’s with a puzzle that rests on the coffee table, a s’mores kit that’s always stocked, or blankets and lanterns beside the bench on the front porch. What we set out becomes an invitation to settle in [to the family].”
We are a family of faith, and we need to be intentional in creating spaces (figurative and literal) where family connections can be made and nurtured so that together we are strengthened to carry out Christ’s mission.
What we “set out” becomes an invitation to family.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, “Capturing Connection.” Magnolia Journal, November (Winter) 2023. (Des Moines, IA: Meredith Operations Corp.), 59.
For the week of Jan 22nd, 2024
Limited Visibility
I’m not sure how they do it … you know people with Type A personalities. The ones that are so good at planning things out way in advance. The ones who get frustrated by people like me (Type B personalities) that are lucky if they plan days in advance. Perhaps their world is more predictable than mine. I remember someone asking me once what I was going to do in the coming week. I told them that it would be easier to get to the end of the week and tell them what I had done. Don’t get me wrong, I start every week with a “To Do” list, it’s just that sometimes I start the next week with the same list. It’s hard for me to know in advance what I will actually get done. The reality is, there is “limited visibility” regarding the future in my line of work. Life happens, ministry is needed, and I respond. And, I’m OK with that.
I wonder sometimes what it might be like to be able to have a clear view of what is coming so that I could make a plan and see it through on schedule. I also wonder what it’s like for those who need life to be predictable … to be able to see out ahead … when the future is not so clear.
Even I, who is pretty comfortable with the adventure of not knowing what is ahead, has admitted before that I don’t like driving behind large vehicles (I have a Prius so most vehicles fit this description). When I’m driving, I don’t like surprises. The deeply hidden “A” personality in me surfaces as much as that is physically possible, because I like to be able to anticipate whether or not I will need to slow down, change lanes, or change directions. In those moments I feel as though I have a sense of how other “A’s” feel.
I knew as soon as I walked out of the house today, that visibility was going to be an issue. Seeing ahead was off the table. Anticipating my next move was out of the question. A dense fog had settled in across the Chicagoland area, and visibility was low. It was so thick in spots that I didn’t know if there was a vehicle in front of me, much less whether it was large or small. Life (aka my car) in those moments came to a crawl. Though I knew my intended destination, I could not be sure of my exact location or whether I was even headed in the right direction. There was one particular moment when traffic actually came to a complete stop, and I didn’t know when or if I’d be able to proceed. Call it coincidence, but in the very moment that my car’s wheels came to a stop, the song that began to play (I had my phone set to “shuffle”) was “I Surrender All.”
I’d like to say that my ability to go through life flying by the seat of my pants, not knowing what might happen next, and not being overcome with anxiety has everything to do with my deep faith in God, but, if I’m being honest, it’s more likely the result of an annoying (to some) personality trait. That said, life isn’t just about road hazards and planned itineraries. To the contrary, life is full of crossroads, important decisions, uncertainties, unforeseen events … things for which a clear view of what lies ahead would be helpful, but things which are also often shrouded in dense “fog.” Those are the times when faith is all that we have. The knowledge that God is present with us. The fog may or may not lift, but we are not alone. It is in those moments when we experience “limited visibility,” that we are encouraged to surrender … not our uniqueness … not our giftedness … not our agency … but rather our fear and anxiety … our feelings of loneliness and abandonment … our sense of urgency for quick fixes.
Remember, God sees what we cannot!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan 15th, 2024
The View From Here
Years ago, my family traveled to Paris for vacation in celebration of our girls’ respective graduations from college and high school. While on the trip, we took the opportunity to venture to the top of the Eiffel Tower. If ever there was a time to use the phrase “the view from here…” that was it. Short of being in a plane, it was the highest I had been (or ever hoped to be) off the ground. And, it was truly amazing. It was a clear day, and you could literally see for miles… in all directions.
On any given “typical” day in life, the view is much more limited. Even if there are no clouds or fog … even if the sun is shining…even when standing in the middle of a vast field where no trees are in sight… our view is limited. It’s limited by our life circumstances, our life experiences, our pre-conceived notions, our ability (or inability) to put the experience into words, and our willingness (or lack thereof) to be awed, surprised, transformed.
The reality is that we see what we want to see … what we have been conditioned to see … no matter where we stand or sit.
Like the “nations” mentioned in the Judgment of the Nations (Matt 25:37-40 NRSVUE), we ask, when was it that we saw [those who were] hungry … or thirsty…? When was it that we saw … a stranger or [someone who was] naked …? When did we [see persons] sick or in prison? Though, if we leave the house on any given day, we encounter people who fit all of those categories, we are likely to miss them. Either we are not looking, or we choose not to see. That’s right, “seeing” is a choice.
In the 10th chapter of the Matthew’s gospel the disciples come to Jesus and ask why he speaks to the people in parables. His response to them is that the people have eyes but don’t see … ears but don’t hear. They see and hear what they want to see and hear. But to his disciples he says, “blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you , many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it…”
If we fail to see “it.” we will apparently not be alone, but neither will we be part of that to which God is calling us … creating a space in this world where the worth of all persons is a shared reality, rather than just one of a list of things found in a statement of belief … a space where the view is one of love and forgiveness, grace and mercy, justice and equality, unity and diversity, reconciliation and healing.
What is the view from where you stand? Is it beauty and wholeness as far as the eye can see? Or, are there things awaiting notice, needing attention, requiring change? Is there hunger, thirst, isolation, nakedness, illness, imprisonment?
If the view from here is all darkness, you will likely drown in despair, but if the view from here is all butterflies and roses, you are likely missing something… perhaps even Christ.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan 8th, 2024
The Alphabet Game
Picture by Magda Ehlers
It’s kind of sad perhaps, but I, nearing 60 years old, still “play” the alphabet game when on a long road trip, or caught in rush hour traffic. If you’ve ever been on a long trip as a child, or with children, you have probably played the alphabet game, or something like it. Actually designed for more than one “player,” the purpose of the game is to find and call out the letters of the alphabet … in order from “a” to “z” … and to be the first to complete the alphabet. Any source is acceptable (license plates, bill boards, road signs, sides of trucks, mud flaps … anywhere letters appear. Of course, when there is only one person “playing,” calling out is not necessary.
The game is actually a great way to pass the time and/or to overcome boredom. It requires paying close attention to one’s surroundings, and can lead to seeing things you might otherwise miss. You might be surprised at some of the places that letters appear. And, as you might expect, there are certain letters that are available in abundance and others that are very hard to come by (J, Q, Z, and sometimes V) … especially in remote places. Consequently, there are times when the game goes fairly quickly, and other times when it seems the game will never come be over.
Life can be a lot like the alphabet game. There are times when we go through life with all of the “letters” (answers, resources, gifts and talents, words of comfort, etc.) available to us right when we need them … everything in the proper order. But, there are also times when the one “letter” we need is nowhere to be found … hampering our ability to move forward … making it seemingly impossible to complete a task or achieve our intended/desired goal.
Here’s the thing, some games have rules that are “set in stone.” Some games are competitive in nature, and lack the flexibility to find a better way. But, some games don’t require competition and actually work better when players work together. The same is true for life. In fact, although society would tell us that life, by nature and for the sake of survival, is necessarily competitive, we were created to be in community and to work together for the good of all. (I’ll pause for a minute to allow the more competitive readers among us to finish rolling their eyes.)
I would actually argue that there are some “rules” in life that are set in stone … love God, love your neighbor as yourself, pray for your enemies, forgive and forgive again, take nourishment, remain hydrated, get adequate sleep/rest, don’t cause harm to another, and pay your taxes. (I know, I may have missed a couple, but you get the idea). I would also argue, however, that many other rules are manmade and therefore flexible.
Imagine a version of the alphabet game where the goal was to work together to complete the alphabet as many times as possible during the duration of the trip… where instead of being in competition for the “letters” … especially the difficult to find letters … we combined our efforts, shared our “letters,” and celebrated our victories together. Now, imagine that same approach to life.
Unrealistic … possibly, but isn’t it worth a try?
Possible … absolutely, but only if it gets started somewhere. How about with us!? That’s a “game” we all can play … children, adults (even those approaching, or long past, 60)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan 1st, 2024
Holy Innocents
On Thursday of last week, December 28th, there were churches around the world that celebrated or acknowledged what is known as “Holy Innocents Day.” It is a day in which many in the church universal remember the children (all males under the age of one) who were killed at the order of King Herod. It is a story found in the Gospel of Matthew following the birth of Jesus. And, though it is an extension of the birth narrative, it is more a tale that shows what can happen when fear and envy and insecurity are allowed to thrive in our hearts… when power and control become the object of our desire and when the fragility of such desires are threatened by the smallest of things … even a child.
You and I are not kings and queens. We do not have power over kingdoms. One might think that the things we do control are of such little consequence that we might never fear the loss of those things enough to add to the list of “holy innocents” in an effort to hold on to them. But when we are challenged … when the things we value (family, possessions, rights, etc.) are in danger … the “mama bear” comes out … in all of us. In those moments, thoughts of peace fall to the wayside… concern for others takes a back seat. Our instincts kick in and we protect what is ours with a ferocity that does not consider fallout, collateral damage, lost relationships, or the presence of “holy innocents.” Those reactions are, of course, justifiable … or so we convince ourselves. But what about the little things we do unintentionally … things that don’t leave a visible mark, but hurt just the same.
The reality is that every decision and/or action that we make, or fail to make has the potential to leave “holy innocents” in its wake. That is not to say that we kill innocent children with those thoughts and actions, but simply that our thoughts and actions always affect others in some way.
The official Day of Holy Innocents has come and gone for this year, but the number of God’s children who keep being added to the list will continue to grow as long as there are those who put power and control over people and collaboration … self over “other” … “us” over “them.”
A change has to start somewhere. Perhaps, in this new year, we all could just take a couple of minutes each day to pray for the “holy innocents” (adults and children) of our world (past and present) and to attempt to “see” them as our brothers and sisters, worthy of our compassion and attention. Maybe we could even take a moment to consider the ways in which we may have contributed to the number of holy innocents through our actions or inactions … through the things we said or didn’t say. I dare say that through our care and attention, we could begin to bring about change … one holy innocent at a time.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec 25th, 2023
Manifesto
Picture from “The We Believe Movement”
As we close out this year and prepare for the unlimited possibilities awaiting us in 2024, it is good for us to find a balance between remembering all that has transpired, good and bad, in our lives over the past year, and maintaining our hopes and dreams for what can be. In order to bridge the gap between past and future we need to be consider what matters most.
In Community of Christ, we know that it is ultimately Christ’s mission that matters most. That said, there are many tangible ways to get at that. I found the following in the most recent edition of the Magnolia Journal. It is the Magnolia Manifesto, and it is entitled “We Believe:”
“We believe in home, that it should restore us from today and ready us for tomorrow. We believe in friendship, because friends who feel like family are the best kind of friends, and that nothing matters more than family. We believe in seeking the balance between hustle and rest and learning to find contentment in both. We believe everyone deserves a seat at the table and everyone has a story worth telling. We believe in human kindness, knowing we are made better when we all work together. We believe in courage, in cartwheeling past our comfort zones and trying something a little bit scary every day. We believe that failure needn’t be a negative thing; rather, we learn from our mistakes and fail smarter next time. We believe in doing good work that matters and, in choosing that, nudging others toward doing the same. We believe that newer isn’t always better and that it’s time for the pendulum of trend to swing back to the basics. We believe in unearthing beauty, however hidden or subtle it might be. We believe that each day is a gift and that everyday miracles are scattered about if only we have eyes to see, and of all heroic pursuits large or small, we believe there may be none greater than a life well loved.[i]
You may or may not agree with all of the statements found in the Magnolia Manifesto. That’s OK. What is important is that you take time to reflect on the things in which you do believe, and then to be intentional about making them a part of how you choose to approach life going forward.
What are your “non-negotiables?” How is it that you contribute to the building of God’s peaceable reign on earth? How might you need to shift your thinking or alter the way you engage others and the world in order for your others to know what you believe without you having to tell them?
I encourage you to take some time to carefully consider these questions as well as your responses … not for the sake of creating new year’s resolutions that will disappear after a couple of weeks … but rather for the sake of transforming our world.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna and Chip Gaines, Editors, Magnolia Journal, November (Winter) 2023. (Des Moines, IA: Meredith Operations Corp.), 108.
For the week of Dec 18th, 2023
Joy to the World
If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, or you’ve heard me speak, you may have heard me talk say, “be careful what you sing!” I think that we often simply sing along with familiar songs, whether they be on the radio or out of the hymnal, without thinking about the words. Like many things, after we do them so many times, they become more habit than intention.
Songs on the radio might only require caution if you listen to non-“rents” stations. For those who have no idea what a “rents” station or playlist is, that’s a station or playlist that you use when your parents are around (no swear words, no “inappropriate” references to women, body parts, late night activities… you get the idea). Hymns, however, are more likely to require caution … at least they ought to. That’s because hymns often include words of commitment, promises to act, heartfelt confessions, and the like.
Here’s the thing, even though I have told others to be cautious, I still find phrases in songs that I have sung hundreds of times which surprise me… phrases that have come out of my mouth but apparently never passed through my brain … before or after. Such a phrase hit me this past week as I was listening to Christmas music on the radio. Now, a couple of things… first, I realize that the phrase is not from the scriptures and didn’t come from God, and, second, I’m probably the only person who has never picked up on the implications of the phrase, but…here goes…
The song is “Joy to the World,” and the phrase that captured my attention for the first time ever is from the third verse:
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love, and wonders, and wonders of his love.
The phrase … “He… makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.” With a little digging (thank you internet) it seems that there has been a lot written about the hymn in general and this phrase in specific. I wish I had a good excuse as to why it took me so long to pick up on the challenge I find in this phrase… God has done, and continues to do, marvelous things in our world, and in our lives … but because God has chosen not to force our hand, or require us to choose God, the world has often chosen other gods. Perhaps it is because they remain unconvinced regarding the glories and wonders of God. Is there a chance that what the “world” has seen from those who call upon God’s name has not been all that glorious or wonderful? Unfortunately, the answer is yes… at least for many of the non-believers I have met and with whom I have talked.
Words of Counsel given to Community of Christ in 2013 encourage us to “not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion.” (Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a). I believe the same can be said about joy. It is not enough to sing about joy to the world. We must also live, and love and share with the world the joy we know because we have been transformed by the glories and wonders of God’s love and grace.
As we close in on Christmas, consider letting your gift to the “world” (or at least to those you encounter on a daily basis) be living proof of the transforming power of God in your life … the source of your true joy!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec 11th, 2023
New Insights
In the last week, I have gained some new insights into myself and my need to approach patience differently. For some, perhaps, patience comes naturally. I have certainly known people in my life who exhibited great amounts of patience with others (yes… “others” includes me.) I guess I’ve just always thought that patience is like athletic or musical ability… some people have it and some people don’t. I’ve heard tell that there are persons whose “natural” ability is so natural that practice is not even necessary. One thing is certain, I’ll never know for sure since I’m not one of those people.
That said, I have been able to develop new skills throughout life … with practice, aspiration, and intentionality. That’s where my new insights into self and patience come into play. In most things, children being one exception, my “natural” level of patience is somewhere in between my natural athletic ability and my natural musical ability… nearly non-existent. I do believe, however, that even I have the ability to grow in patience… but not without those three key elements … practice, aspiration, and intentionality.
I don’t know about you, but I forget sometimes that what is “obvious” to me, is not always obvious to others. I should know better. I can’t even count the times when it has been me for whom something was not obvious. So why then, you might ask (I certainly did) did it take me a couple of days into my recent visit back home to realize that I was allowing myself to get frustrated with having to explain myself over and over again regarding … in my mind … an extremely simple task. That’s easy … because I’m human, and I forget.
I forget that we are all on a journey. We have all traveled different paths to get where we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have all had different life experiences that have informed and possibly transformed our beliefs and understandings about life … the way we see the world and each other. I’ve written before about the passage in scripture where Jesus tells Peter that he must go above and beyond with forgiveness, forgiving others “seventy-seven times” (Matt 18:22). I’m learning that the same may be true for our exercising of patience with one another.
We live in a crazy time where division is prominent. It seems that we are encouraged by outside forces to focus on the things that divide us… withdraw into our own spaces … surround ourselves with those who affirm our convictions… and demand our rights regardless of what it might cost others … even those we love. However, we (you and I) can aspire to something better … something more hope-filled … something more loving. There are certainly plenty of opportunities to practice patience with one another (even regarding the simplest of tasks)… remembering the things that are most important … our connections … our relationships … our common humanity and the fact that we are all children of God.
No doubt, for some of us at least, it will not come
naturally. It will take intentionality.
But, whatever it takes, it will be worth it. We are worth it. Those we love are
worth it. And, if Jesus has anything to say about it, even those who “trespass
against us” are worth it.
I encourage you to pay attention to how you respond to “frustrating” encounters this week. Take time to consider the life circumstances, worldview, physical and mental ability, and even the culture of the one(s) who are causing your frustration. Maybe you, like me, will gain some new insights.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec 4th, 2023
The Bell Ringer
This first appeared in From the Desk of… n December 2017. Today I passed a bell ringer that was the exact opposite of the one described here, and it reminded me of how much difference a “bell ringer” can make in your day … perhaps even your life…
We’ve all seen them…and avoided them! They come out during the holiday season and run interference at our most popular stores. Last week, after arriving at the grocery store near my home, I sat in the car and watched for a little bit. I wanted to see how people respond to the Salvation Army bell ringer. My interest was peaked specifically because this was not the average bell ringer…you know the ones that stand by the bucket ringing their bell and looking at people as if they hated being there just as much as the passersby hated them being there…
Janice (not pictured above, and name changed to protect the enthusiastic) sang, danced, and greeted every guest with a sincere “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Though it was hard to avoid making eye contact with her, the number of people who managed to do so was astounding. It’s interesting how many women had apparently lost something in their purse right before they got to the door and entered while looking for the missing item(s)…or the number of people who found something in the upper right corner of the door frame so captivating that they had to stare…in the direction opposite of Janice.
In spite of the rejection, Janice didn’t give up. Her smile never cracked. Her singing and dancing continued on cue (not to be confused with “on key”… LOL). She would not be dissuaded from her task. She was determined to bring joy into the lives of others.
A few days ago, in the midst of a bit of a frustrating day, I stopped at a different store (several miles from the first) only to find a dancing, singing, joy-filled bell ringer awaiting my entry. Yes…it was Janice and the only thing that had changed was her location. I stopped to talk to her, and asked her why she had changed locations, and though she never answered that question (perhaps she was too joyful for the clientele of the first store), she seemed amazed that someone had recognized her…and even more so that someone took the time to speak to her. But I wanted her to know that her enthusiastic presence was just what I needed that day. She thanked me, gave me a hug, and wished me an extra special Merry Christmas.
The point of me telling this story is that I was reminded in the moment how the simple act of “noticing” the presence of a person may mean more to them (and us) than we can ever imagine. Let’s face it, there are lots of “nameless” and/or “faceless” people in our communities…people who have been made to feel that they don’t matter or that they are not as good as others…and they don’t all ring bells at Christmas. They live in our neighborhoods, go to school with our children, work in our offices, and sit beside us in our pews.
This week, I challenge you to think about the “bell ringers” in your life. Who is it that causes you to search in your bag or stare at the door frame when entering a store? Maybe they dance a little crazy or sing off key. Perhaps they stand by their bucket waiting for you to toss in your loose change. But, more importantly, maybe they are a glimpse of Emanuel… “God with us”…sent by God to see if we’ll notice.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov 27th, 2023
A new cycle of the Christian year began this week. A time of waiting has commenced. It is supposed to be a time of anticipation and expectation filled with hope and peace and joy and love, but sometimes I wonder if those feelings are lost in the holiday hubbub. That may even seem natural since, In any other circumstance, it might seem odd to equate a time of waiting with such positive feelings. Anxiety might seem more appropriate. And, it doesn’t help that our culture tells us we don’t have to wait…even that we ought not to wait. After all, we now have the ability to obtain what we want as well as what we need with the click of a button. We don’t even have to leave the house. If we plan it right, we can have “it” the same day … two days at the most.
So why wait? Why are we willing to accept the waiting of Advent, when that’s not how we most often approach life? Perhaps it’s because we already know how the story turns out. This is a story we’ve heard before. We know what’s next without having to “turn the page.” There are no surprises. We know that the “package” that is on its way will be exactly as advertised. There is no return policy because none is needed. In the end, the problem with knowing how the story ends is that it allows us to take the “waiting” for granted… so much so that we’re not actually waiting at all… at least not for that which the Advent season promises.
I heard a story a few days ago. It was a story told by a young woman who had experienced homelessness as a child. She, her younger sister, and their mother were homeless for a little over a year during her time in middle school. In telling her story, she related the sense of desperation she had felt each day while sitting in the shelter waiting for food … waiting to find out if they would receive a temporary housing placement … waiting, not knowing what to expect on the next page of their story, much less how the story would “end.” For her and her family, waiting wasn’t a season with a pre-set happy ending, it was a way of life, and it rarely included hope, or peace, or joy … or even love.
It is my hope and prayer this Advent season that you will think about those whose whole life is spent waiting … for acceptance, for food, for shelter … to have hope, to know peace, to experience joy, and to be loved. Take time during Advent to do a little waiting yourself. If necessary, pretend you don’t know how the story turns out. Live with a sense of anticipation and hopeful expectation. Let yourself be surprised by what’s on the next page.
The Christmas story has been written for a long time, but in your waiting you may find a few surprises that birth something new in your heart. Remember, your story is still being written.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov 20th, 2023
Traditions
photo from Rawpixel
We’ve often joked in our family that if you do it once, it’s tradition. Needless to say, we have started many traditions in our family. So many, as a matter of fact, that it’s hard to remember them all. But one thing that remains strong in our memories is that all of our traditions include doing something fun or special together as a family. Of course, life changes … the kids grow up and start their own families (and their own traditions) … and we learn to adapt … creating new traditions (aka…. excuses to make more memories together) that fit the changing world and our changing circumstances.
When our children were young, we thought traditions needed to be big events … providing some wow factor that our children would look forward to with great anticipation. In those early days, “big events” were synonymous with “costly,” so we had to pick and choose carefully. However, one of our cherished traditions, which started when our kids were 14 and 6, was to drive an hour on Thanksgiving night in order to be at a huge outlet mall at midnight when Black Friday began, and then stay up all night shopping and browsing (more browsing than shopping). It was made special by the booths serving free hot chocolate, the rush of finding amazing “one-night-only” deals, and the carolers that strolled through the crowd with their joyous tunes.
We continued that tradition for fifteen years … long after the hot chocolate was no longer free, the deals started days if not weeks in advance, and carolers were no where to be found. With the kids “grown,” hot chocolate was replaced with a mid-morning (3am) break at our favorite coffee shop, and the outlet mall was replaced with targeted, well thought out treasure hunting in specifically identified stores scattered around town. Now, of course, “Black Friday” happens mostly online. But, I like to think that, even if the stores still opened, we’re smart enough to choose our traditions and our together time more wisely. No more all-nighters … just quality time together over a meal or a cup of coffee, around a fire, playing a rousing game of Bananagrams, or simply by way of phone or internet.
In spite of our changing lives, our family still has the tradition of staying connected. It’s a tradition that is vital to the well-being of every human being, because we are created to be in community. Not everyone has a traditional family like ours, but I hope and pray that most can (and should) have those they identify as “family.” We’ve learned that “big event” doesn’t have to mean costly. Rather, it can be as simple as a picnic at a favorite park, coming together to bake cookies, carving out time for a weekly video phone chat, sending postcards to loved ones from random places, having a gingerbread house decorating contest, taking a drive to look at Christmas lights … anything … as long as you stay connected.
At Thanksgiving, I am especially mindful of just how blessed we are. Our family grieves for those around the world who are battered by war, poverty, oppression, food and water insecurity, abuse, global warming, and countless numbers of other things. We are keenly aware that we have suffered none of those things, and that we have a responsibility as Christian disciples, not to mention fellow human beings, to do what we can to make our world more just and inclusive.
Even as I write this, I realize that it is easy for us to talk about tradition in grand terms because we have the freedom and resources to do so. For this reason, I do not take family or traditions for granted. So whomever you consider to be your “family,” make a plan to connect with them. If possible, make it a regular “big event.” Who knows, it may become one of your favorite traditions.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov 13th, 2023
Love Your Enemies
photo by: Becker1999 (Flickr)
As the headlines continue to be filled with stories of war, division, and mass destruction around the globe … as many of us quietly watch while hundreds and thousands of people lose their lives in atrocities carried out by others in response to conflicts and disputes that have existed since before their birth … and as the definition of what constitutes an “enemy” is expanding before our eyes at a record pace in response to the blatant disregard for others … the command of Jesus to “love your enemies” seems to be slipping from our grasp and our consciousness.
My own personal journey of discipleship has led me to be in concerted prayer for those on both sides of the conflicts that are commanding global attention, yet seem not to have clear paths to resolution. It is in that context of struggle that I offer these words which are taken from Bishop Jake Owenby’s blog, “A Jesus-Shaped Life: A Reflection on Matthew 16:13-20.”
“After Sunday worship at one of the congregations in my diocese, I met with the church’s leadership for the standard review of finances, attendance figures, evangelism strategies, and the like. One of the leaders was visibly angry. He said nothing until we came to the “Other Business” item at the end of the agenda. Referring to my sermon, he said, “Where do you get off telling us to love our enemies? They’re our enemies! They’re dangerous. We have to defend ourselves.”
Taken aback, I couldn’t think of anything to say. Several seconds passed. The priest of the parish broke the silence. “The Bishop was quoting Jesus. Those words are from the Sermon on the Mount. It’s in Matthew’s Gospel.” My critic didn’t respond, but he was still fuming and remained unconvinced.
Jesus is neither a coercive drill sergeant nor a micromanaging boss. He is a wise friend. Wisdom is the art of navigating life’s complexities. Nobody is born wise. And advanced age does not guarantee wisdom. Nevertheless, we acquire wisdom over time if we acquire it at all. Opening our heart, mind, and soul to a person who possesses wisdom is crucial to learning it. We become wise by patterning our lives on how a wise person walks through this world on their ordinary days. How they think, feel, and act in a variety of situations.
The Bible teaches us that the wise don’t merely observe the world around them and figure out its patterns all on their own. Instead, they spend a lifetime connecting with the very source of the creation’s deep, governing algorithm. Their lives are shaped by the habitual practices of worship, prayer, study, works of mercy, and the pursuit of justice. These practices open us to God’s presence in our everyday lives.
In other words, Jesus shows us how to live. What he teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount and in his many parables and by his personal example may upend some of our fiercely-held assumptions or rein in some of our strongest impulses. But when we recognize that we need a mentor to be fully human—to live into being the image of God we were created to be—we’re admitting that there’s much that we do not know and more than a few things that we’ve gotten wrong along the way. God knows that we’re a work in progress. That’s why repentance is one of Christianity’s traditional practices. We need to admit our missteps and shortsightedness to ourselves over and over. Not to get God off our backs. But to accept the helping hand we’re always being mercifully offered. Besides, once we finally realize that God has accepted us all along, loving our imperfect self gets a lot easier.
In short, I suppose that we say who Jesus is by living a Jesus shaped life. By passing on to our neighbor the love that God keeps giving us no matter what.”[i]
I don’t know who you might consider to be your “enemies.” Hopefully, the list is short. Either way, it is my prayer that you (and I) can live a Jesus-shaped life … admitting the things we don’t know, seeking knowledge and understanding of the suffering and struggle of others, and finding ways to love the lovable and the “unlovable” (aka. Our enemies).
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Bishop Jake Owensby, “The Jesus Shaped Life,”https://jakeowensby.com/2023/08/18/a-jesus-shaped-life/.
For the week of Nov 6th, 2023
Slow Down
Who knows why certain things happen to people? Some would say God planned it … some would call it fate … some say coincidence. Personally, I can only say that I don’t know. However, no matter what we find to be a suitable answer for any given incident or event in our life or in the lives of the ones we love, there is one thing that I believe … God is always present with us in the midst of the events of our lives, and often helps us to find hope, comfort and light if we will only open ourselves to the moving of God’s spirit.
Here’s an example…
As I went about my usual mid-week duties, I couldn’t help but notice how many times someone switched lanes (often without a signal) on short notice and into a gap that was not intended for their vehicle. Granted, I spend an inordinate amount of time in the car on Wednesdays, so the odds of this happening are higher than on other days. That said, I believe that today was worse than usual.
Because I’m not typically a conspiracy theorist, I don’t believe (at least not deep down) that these people were doing this to aggravate me personally, and I don’t believe that God put them in my way. I don’t even believe that I deserved this behavior because I wasn’t living “right.” I did consider, at one point, however, stopping my car and getting out to see if someone had put a sign on my car requesting that people cut me off and then slow down. If it hadn’t been raining … who knows?
And then there was that inner voice (more like a fleeting thought) that said, “slow down.” Each time someone filled the gap between myself and the vehicle in front of me, I had to slow in order to avoid an accident. There were a couple of times when I had to come to a complete stop. Though my heart wanted to offer grace, my mind kept trying to rationalize why the other driver felt it necessary to drive the way they did … dangerously … without thought of others … selfishly seeking to get “there” first. So much for grace. But God knows my heart and my mind, and, in time, I wondered if maybe, though… again, I don’t believe God made them do it, God might be encouraging me and nudging me to take the hint … to slow down … to make space for others.
For those who prefer to be the center of things, this should be good news. Rather than allowing me to obsess about how the actions of the others were inconveniencing me, God was helping me to turn the focus on me and see the teachable moments in the events of my life so that I might use them to be a better disciple, a better companion, a better father, a better minister, a better person. Imagine that … they drive like maniacs and I’m the one that has something to learn. Not to worry, I’m sure God can do the same for you if you’re open to it. You see, God doesn’t have to physically intervene in our lives to move us toward our created purpose. All God has to do is accompany us through life’s challenges, joys and struggles … which God does … and quietly nudge, prompt, and encourage us to acknowledge our shortcomings, admit our need to grow, open our hearts to receive, and offer our lives in service to God and the building of God’s kingdom. It is there… in centering ourselves in God, not in judging others … that we find the hope, comfort and light that God has promised us.
Maybe it doesn’t matter why things happen. Maybe what matters is what we learn from those things, and how those things affect how we move forward. So… slow down. Listen to God. Make space for others. And… what the heck … focus on yourself for a few minutes. In the end, you’ll be better prepared to handle life, walk with God, and fulfill your God-given purpose.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct 30th, 2023
No Costume or Mask Required
It was not your normal All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween). Though our family has had a tradition for the last 20 years to set up a fire pit in the driveway and sit around the fire while we wait for the children to come seeking candy, I can’t remember a Halloween in recent history where the fire was a necessity rather than just a fun thing to do. This year, however, it was necessary. At least for those brave enough (or dumb enough depending on your perspective) to hang out outside for the duration of the event.
I realize that Halloween is not a “holiday” that everyone celebrates, but I loved it as a child, and I love it still. As a child, I loved it because I think it was the only time we were allowed to have candy … certainly it was the only time we were allowed to have that much candy). I love it now because there is nothing better for the soul than to see children so happy and excited. The wide-eyed joy of a child when they hold their bag open and hear the candy making its landing, is something that brings me joy. And we don’t limit our candy to children. Anyone, as long as they are in some kind of costume … even a mask, can have candy.
This particular year, my wife and I joined our daughter and son-in-law at their new home. It was their first Halloween, as a married couple and as home owners. Because of the freezing temperatures and falling snow, there were some candy seekers who seemed more drawn to the fire than to the candy. My son-in-law jokingly told some of the older kids that they could either have candy or get warm by the fire. Some of them were actually willing to sacrifice the candy and stand by the fire. In the end, they got both. There were even a few who returned a couple of times for additional warmth.
As we neared the end of the trick-or-treat time “window,” and the number of passers by started to dwindle, we were surprised when a group of high-school aged young men in costume made their way to the fire. They too got their candy, and lingered by the fire for an extra minute or two. Then, as they left, we noticed an individual standing with their bike out at the sidewalk, rubbing their hands together, glancing toward the fire, but apparently not feeling comfortable to come up the drive to where we were sitting … perhaps because they were not part of the trick-or-treat crowd.
We invited the person to come up and get warm. As it turns out, the person was a young adult … a young woman who probably thought the fire was only for us or for those who were out gathering treats. She quickly accepted our invitation, and joined us beside the fire. Her smile was just as broad and her appreciation just as deep (perhaps deeper) as the children who had received candy.
This young woman had not come with a bag seeking handouts. All she longed for was an invitation to join our circle and benefit from the warmth and welcome that she found there. She had no expectations of us, nor we of her. She only stayed for a brief time. All that we know about her is that she had forgotten her gloves at home, and that she still had a bit of a ride ahead of her.
As I watched her return to her bike with a smile on her face, I couldn’t help but think about all those in our world that could benefit from an invitation to join the circle of warmth and welcome that we know as companions on the journey with Christ … even for a brief period … without expectations, without judgement … no costume or mask required.
Who is waiting for your invitation to come and share the warmth that you have found in community with Christ? Will they need a costume or a mask in order reap the benefits of what you have to offer?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct 23rd, 2023
Make the Journey
Traveling around the interstates and highways that pass through the Chicagoland area, I see so many billboards. Because I often travel the same ways week after week, I’ve gotten to the point where I rarely even pay attention to them. Some, because they have no bearing on my life, but mostly because they’ve just become a part of the “landscape.”
Today, however, one that has been around for a while stood out for me. This particular billboard advertised a religious attraction, but it wasn’t because of the billboard’s inherent religious nature nor the attraction it was promoting that drew me in. It was the words, “Make the Journey.” You might ask yourself why that phrase would capture the attention of a person that spends a lot of time on the road. Perhaps you too are one that gets a lot of “car time.” Here’s the thing, I make a lot of “trips” here and there, running errands, visiting people and congregations, and addressing the needs of others, but I rarely take the time to make “the journey.” There are even times when I arrive at a place I’ve been to so many times that I didn’t even think about how to get there… I just did. One minute I’m leaving my house, and the next, I’m arriving at a location 30 or more miles away, with little or no recognition of the things I’ve passed along the way.
But, as I passed the billboard today, it was as if something or someone was telling me to slow down, pay attention, listen, watch, take note … don’t just “get there,” make the journey. All day, the phrase floated in my mind… like a tune of a song that get’s stuck in your brain and won’t let go. My response, at least initially, was, “I don’t have time to slow down, or make a journey for that matter.” And then I had an encounter with the cashier at the supermarket where I had stopped to buy the food for our weekly food program. The “encounter” began as I waited in line for my turn to check out. I watched as this woman took time to make each customer … even the one that interrupted her mid-customer to ask a question … feel that they were the only person in the store and the only task on her list for the day. Some might have been frustrated by the fact that she didn’t just hurry and do her job, and perhaps on any other day I might have joined them in their frustration. However, today was anything but frustrated. I left wondering if that was her way of “making the journey.” I wondered if taking the time to show interest in others, instead of giving in to the press of other tasks, made as much of a difference in those with whom she interacted as it did in me.
I have always marveled at how unshakable Jesus was when encountering persons in need while on the way to attend to some other pressing task. Even though his disciples tried to get him to move along … to make the trip, Jesus always seemed to choose instead to “make the journey.”
I don’t know about you, but it’s something from which I would do well to learn.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct 16th, 2023
Big House
I’m always looking for signs of hope in today’s chaotic and oft divided world. It is especially exciting to me when that hope is made manifest through the lives of young people. Let me explain…
As a church leader, I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how the church is being called to live out its purpose in a 21st century, post-pandemic, context. If there weren’t already enough reasons why church was losing its relevance to younger generations, the pandemic proved that they (we) could survive isolation, or at least compensate for it by creating community in new ways … ways that didn’t necessarily require “church” community. Being a technologically savvy generation allowed young adults to easily transition into new ways of being together … ways that make space for everyone to belong and to be themselves … without fear of judgement.
Quite honestly, those types of communities … those ways of being … are hard to find within the church. I believe that every one of us, regardless of our age, long for that kind of community. But, when we are together in church, we feel we have to be a certain way … to have things all together … to judge others quickly, lest they judge us first! (Wait a minute… I think what Jesus said was, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” Matt 7:1-2 NRSV).
What if we could be together without judgement? What if we left that to God, and spent our energy on finding ways to build one another up, celebrate one another’s triumphs, encourage one another in times of trouble, and rejoice in the fact that we have those with whom we can share life?
Last weekend, I was at yet another wedding. The wedding was for one of my daughter’s closest childhood friends. It just so happens that the bride’s family are some of our closest friends as well, because of the time we spent together in community. One of the best parts of the wedding event for me was the reconnection with people who played a significant role in our lives and the lives of our children for 10 years. Though we have been gone from that place for 10 years, it was as if time had stood still. For the older adults in the crowd, though that reunion was awesome, it was not unexpected. With the exception of the inevitable effects of age, not much had changed for us.
For our children (now adults in their own right), however, much had changed… engagements, weddings, college graduations, careers, cross-country moves. And yet, they too picked up where they had left off. The absolute highlight of the weekend was when, between two popular dance tunes, the DJ played “Big House” by Audio Adrenaline. It had been a camp favorite for these young folks from elementary through high school. As soon as the song began to play, the energy level skyrocketed. In an instant, we were back at camp. But something was different. I watched as the group naturally expanded to include the newly added significant others. No one was left out. Everyone belonged. It was impossible to tell the “camp kids” from the “new arrivals.”
Not only did that night fill me with hope as I watched those young adults, now living in far flung places in various walks of life, it confirmed for me that God’s house is truly a “big, big house” in which everyone can find welcome no matter where life takes them. It proved to me that the time spent in building sacred community is never wasted. And, it challenged me to make sure my life mirrors that hope and the unlimited welcome of God’s “Big House.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct 9th, 2023
Self Storage
So let’s be clear… I did not, obviously, experience The Great Depression, nor am I a Depression Baby… by a long shot. Let’s also be clear, I am by no means a hoarder. That said, it seems that no mater what size house I live in, I am more than able to fill it with the things that family members have either collected, saved for posterity, found impossible to let go of … just in case, or apparently bought because it was too good of a deal to pass up. (Notice that none of those “reasons” include the word need.)
Growing up, it was things like magazines. I’m pretty sure my mother had every Southern Living and Good Housekeeping ever published. Then, of course, there were all the sentimental pieces (furniture, jewelry, china, silverware, and clothing (and I’m not talking about stuff that might come back in style!) left behind by previous generations. And, I’m not judging. Yes, I have a couple of items passed down from great-grandparents. Though my wife has told me many times that to get rid of something doesn’t mean you don’t love the person to whom it belonged. But still…
As a parent… until our last move three years ago, our storage room was filled with every drawing, school paper, report card, etc. that either of our daughters had produced. There were boxes of clothing packed up and saved…by size… from our first daughter in case any future child might be interested. Who wouldn’t assume that children born eight years apart would be interested in the same clothing styles? Even if not, surely the next generation could use them…right? Well, according to our daughters, the answer is an unequivocal NO! Needless to say, those items did not come with us in the last move.
So, how did our current house start filling up? Could it be “just wants and needs?” Well, some of it has to do with needs. Most of it, however, has to do with “just wants,” as in “I just want it.”
I’d like to say that I am alone in my “collecting,” but one need not go far from home to see that I am, in fact, not alone. As I drive around the Chicagoland area, I cannot help but notice the amount of land mass that it taken up by self-storage companies. They are everywhere and they come in all shapes and sizes. You might expect to see them in densely populated urban areas where houses are small and yards are smaller… or where homes don’t have basements. But, that is not the case. There are more self-storage properties than there are grocery stores.
Again, I’m not judging … anyone other than myself. I don’t have a storage unit now, but I have in the past. I know that I have way more than I need. I often pass it off by saying that I am blessed, but the reality is, I’m more than blessed. I’m spoiled. It’s easy for me to look at billionaires and wonder, how much could they possibly need to acquire before they’re happy?” But, aren’t I the same? Perhaps I need to give some intentional thought to Jesus’ words as recorded in Mathew 6:19-21:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust[b] consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I don’t want my heart collecting dust in a storage room, or even in a nearby closet. If I’m going to let it be about “just wants,” I need to let it be about what God just wants… not only for me, but for everyone and everything in God’s creation.
How about you… where is your heart?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct 2nd, 2023
The Forest and the Trees
It was a beautiful Sunday morning. My destination was not unfamiliar nor was the normal path that I took to get there, but on this day, I decided to put the address in the GPS and see what path it would choose for me. To my surprise, the recommended path was not the path that I would have normally taken. In fact, the GPS directed me down back (country) roads. I was totally dependent on the GPS as I had no idea where I was most of the time.
It was an early morning ride, so there was no traffic at all. There was a light fog hovering over the fields of corn and soy beans. The sky was bright blue and the colors of literally everything were accentuated and enhanced by the uninhibited rising sun. There were some picturesque and even breath-taking views as I wound my way through a place I had never been. Even though I knew the rush and chaos of city and suburban life was probably just beyond my line of sight, it truly seemed hundreds of miles away.
Now if you’ve ever been for a country drive through farmland, you know that there are mostly wide open spaces where trees are few and far between. Such was the case on this morning. However, at one particular point in the drive, I came upon what appeared to be a large forest, but in reality was only a large stand (about an acre) of trees and surrounding undergrowth. The minute it came into view, I was immediately reminded of the phrase “you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Of course, that phrase it not typically used as a compliment. Rather, it reminds us that we too often get caught up in the minutia or details of a issue, project, or problem that we are unable to see the larger picture. Ironically, in that moment, it was both the “forest” as a whole that caught me attention… not the individual trees. Here in this “forest” was an incredible display of diversity, and, I would argue, a sacred “community.” There were trees of all sizes and shapes and varieties. There were numerous shades of green and other bright fall colors, and some trees whose limbs were already bare. There were trees bent by wind and age, and others that stood tall and straight. And below the trees was a similar diversity of undergrowth and young saplings.
The image that was created was one of beauty, but to the casual onlooker and to the naked eye, it might easily be mistaken for something much less than it was. Here was a representation of a supportive and effective community. The root systems of those trees were surely as vastly diverse as the trees they upheld… each one not only supporting its tree but other surrounding trees as well. The undergrowth, part of the forest least favored and most likely to be removed, was not only providing protection against soil erosion, it was also serving as a cover for the decaying ground cover that provides nutrients essential to the health of the whole ecosystem. Each one of the diverse participants in the community contributing in different yet critical ways to the beauty I was able to witness.
We can learn a lesson from the forest and the trees. In order to form sacred community and create the “beauty” of a world where all can thrive (which we believe to be God’s will and plan for creation), we need diversity … we need each one to fulfill the purpose for which they have been created, utilizing their giftedness for the health of the whole … and, we need to work together. When we allow our stories and our lives to be woven together, we form a strong “root system” that supports the community .
Can’t see the forest for the trees? Remember, if it weren’t for the trees (and the undergrowth, and even decaying ground cover for that matter) there would be no forest.
Watch for a “forest” this week, and pay close attention to all that is needed to work together to create beauty.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 25th, 2023
The “Thing”
Prior to becoming a full-time minister, I spent a number of years in the restaurant/hospitality industry. During those years, I worked in a variety of different roles, for a variety of different restaurants. However, it was in the last restaurant for which I worked that I learned the true value of great customer service. It was there that I saw first hand the benefit of treating each person who entered the restaurant with dignity … as a guest rather than a customer. In fact, my mentor in those days shared that he treated every shift as if he were hosting a gathering in his home, and everyone (with the exception of the employees of course) was his guest.
I believe it was because of his philosophy, and the policies of the company which supported his philosophy, that we had as many “regulars” as we did occasional visitors. Rarely was there a meal time that guests didn’t have at least a short wait for a table. Not surprising since the food was good and the hospitality was even better.
It’s a fairly well-known fact in the hospitality industry that in order for a restaurant (especially a locally owned restaurant) to thrive if not simply survive, it needs that “thing” that sets it apart. In most cases, that “thing” is a memorable specialty food item or cuisine. One of the reasons I never attempted to open my own restaurant was the fact that I didn’t have a specialty. That said, I was reminded this past weekend that there might just be another “thing” that would might be just as helpful. Let’s be clear, it’s not a new thing, it just happens to be a thing that is hard to find. My mentor knew the secret to success all those years ago. People just want to be treated like they matter … maybe even a little special.
The reminder came when my wife and I entered a café at a high-end club which we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to enjoy, had it not been for the incredible generosity of a good friend. Here we were, two “fish out of water,” trying not to stand out. We were greeted warmly, ushered to a table, and taken care of as if we owned the place. Our every need was met with incredible professionalism and without any hint of judgement as to our status or worthiness to be there. Watching the employees interact with other guests confirmed that everyone was treated the same, and It felt really good.
We live in a world where our differences have come to hold more weight than the things we have in common. We are divided by more things than we can count (skin color, gender identity, economic status, religion, political affiliation, age, geography, and the list goes on). It seems that every day there are new labels being created in order to lift up one group while holding down another. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
The reality is that we are all God’s children… worthy of love and acceptance, dignity and respect … valued by God beyond our wildest dreams … created for the purpose of experiencing joy and abundant life in concert and cooperation with one another and with creation. What if everyone could have an experience like my wife and I had? What if we always treated one another as guests and family (loving family, not quarreling siblings)? Heck, even being treated as customers would be better than being treated as objects to be put down and/or discarded.
All this time I had the “thing” within me that could have made my dream for my own thriving restaurant a reality. And, all this time we’ve had the “thing” within us to make God’s dream for a thriving, mutually enriching world a reality. We just need to start using that “thing” (a belief in the worth of all persons and a knowledge of God’s unconditional love for all of creation) to bring God’s dream to life.
The Isley Brothers said it well … “It’s your thing, do what you want to do.” Better yet, do what God wants you to do.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 18th, 2023
You Belong
When I was a child, I was taught that church is where God is. And, because our family was at church at least twice a week (Sunday morning and Wednesday nights), that is when I expected to encounter God … if at all. Consequently, I didn’t look for, or listen for, God outside the church walls. Now that I’m all grown up (in age at least) and have served in ministry for the last 30+ years, I have, of course, learned that God is never far. As a matter of fact, when I am paying attention, God “shows up” quite often.
Admittedly, I can go days without an identifiable moment where God’s presence is made obvious… not because God has taken a break, but because I have allowed my attention and focus to be centered elsewhere. Ironically, perhaps, “elsewhere” is usually on church business… or should I say church “busy-ness?” It’s hard to believe that getting caught up in the business of God “stuff” can actually distract one from God’s presence is they are not careful.
And then there are weeks like this week. It started with a Sunday sermon focus scripture, Romans 14:1-12, in which the Apostle Paul encourages the church in Rome to welcome those who are weak in the faith (that includes not only persons new to the faith, but also those who have been around a while but have become too comfortable with the status quo). In the passage, Paul acknowledges that members of the community will likely disagree, but most of the things about which they disagree (what to eat, what day to worship, what color carpet to use, etc) will be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. After all, what matters is that we love God and love neighbor as ourselves. As I prepared my sermon for that day, I was constantly running across examples of “neighbors” who didn’t feel loved or accepted … those who didn’t belong.
Days later, while packing bags outside the church for a weekly food program, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a young man who had fallen on hard times. It was clear that the young man needed someone with whom he could talk because the conversation was neither quick nor superficial. During our talk, I topic of having a support system came up. I asked him if he belonged to a supportive community (family or church). He said he was estranged from his family because of previous poor decisions on his part, and he wasn’t a part of church because “people like [him] don’t fit in with church people.” He didn’t feel that he belonged. Of course, I told him he was loved by God and would be accepted at the church where I was working, but even after our time together, it was pretty clear that he wasn’t convinced. That had not been his experience.
And then today … I was on the road for a prolonged period of time and was listening to a podcast whose description sounded interesting enough to get me to try it out. The podcast was produced by a group from San Diego, CA called Sojourn Grace Collective. Apparently, the group is in its last days, and as a part of their most recent podcast they played a couple of “gratitude moments” from persons who were thankful for the welcoming and inclusive safe space this ministry had created for people who otherwise have not felt that they “belonged” where Christianity is concerned. One of the persons sharing a “gratitude moment” shared six very profound (what I would call gospel-connected, divinely-inspired) words that they would take away from their time participating with this ministry. The words were, “If you are breathing, you belong.”
If you are, or ever have been, struggling with the thought that you aren’t good enough, haven’t done enough of the right things, or have done too many of the wrong things to have seen or heard from God, first look in the mirror and you will see God because you have been created in the image of God. Then, hear this … it doesn’t matter what you believe, what you wear, how much you earn, who you love, what you’ve done or not done in your past … you are a beloved child of God. If you are breathing… you belong!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 11th, 2023
Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans
I have often told my children that they can’t control how people will treat them, they can only control how they choose to respond. Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the Potatoes, the Eggs and the Coffee Beans. It seems that it’s been around for a long time, and there are many variations to the story. Being a visual person, I appreciated the image that this story creates. It was the first time I had heard the story. The following includes a version of the story and comes from beginwithyes.com…
Every day that we live on this earth we make choices. Things happen, we make decisions, and that shapes our life. It’s that simple, but do we put enough thought into how we react to things that happen to us? Sometimes we’re so busy that we just react rather that think. As with many things, a slight pause will create a moment of increased awareness of the words we choose to speak or the actions we choose to take. This affects every single aspect of our lives, and it’s especially true in relationships.
Here’s a short story to help you remember that how we respond to situations is our choice…
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He took the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her, he asked. “What do you see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied. “Look closer”, he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity – the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
The moral of the story: In life, things happen around us, and things happen to us. The only thing that truly matters is your choice of how you react to it and what you make of it. Learn, adapt and choose to make the best of each experience.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 4th, 2023
Insignificant Leaks
Seemingly small insignificant leaks can become cause of major issues if left untended. Take it from a guy who came home from a work trip recently to find some “minor” water stains on the wood laminate flooring of our downstairs bathroom. For the record, I am fully aware that wood laminate flooring is not the best idea for a bathroom, but it’s what was there when we bought the house a couple of years ago. And, until the leak, it was fine… until it wasn’t.
At first glance, I thought it would be a simple fix requiring the replacement of the toilet’s wax ring… a job I estimated would take 15-20 minutes. Of course, I realized there was a chance that a small area of flooring might have to be repaired/replaced since the laminate flooring was likely to have absorbed water, creating a perfect environment for mold growth. However, even taking into account the time that would be required to go to the store and purchase a few replacement floor pieces, the job still shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. If only the flooring was still available, but it wasn’t. And, to top it off, the flooring didn’t end at the door to the bathroom. I was going to have to find another solution altogether. Now I was looking at a days-long project minimum.
Let me be clear, the bathroom hadn’t flooded, but what started with a small insignificant leak ultimately required not minutes or hours or days to repair. It took weeks. Baseboards, cabinet, and countertop had to be removed so that the whole bathroom floor could be replaced with tile. Wall paint messed up by the removal of caulk had to be repaired and repainted, and adjustments had to be made to account for the new floor height. If only I had noticed the leak a little sooner. Argh!
Sure, I could have cut corners along the way. For instance, I probably could have found flooring that was a close match to the original. It would have, after all, been mostly concealed by the replacement of the toilet. But, I just wasn’t willing to settle for “good enough.” I’m actually glad I took the time to do it right… to get the right materials and to carefully attend to every detail so that the floor would withstand future leaks without becoming a problem.
I’m sure you won’t be surprised, but this whole thing got me thinking. This time about relationships. It doesn’t take a “flood” to do major damage to our relationships. Sometimes a small insignificant “leak” can cause just as much damage as a flood. Like the leak in my bathroom, the damage isn’t always clearly visible. Sometimes it eats away at the foundation of the relationship, absorbing negativity and creating favorable environments for spores of resentment, anger, and even hate to grow and multiply.
Healthy relationships require that the right foundation (flooring) be laid, and that attention to detail be paid along the way… not just when “stains” begin to appear. Even though it took a long time, I was able to fix the problems in my bathroom. That may not always be the case with our relationships.
Let’s face it, “leaks” are going to happen. We’re going to mess up. We’re going to say things we wish we hadn’t, or things we never intended to be hurtful. We’re going to do things (or not do things) that will undermine our relationships … because we’re human. And because we’re busy humans there will be times when stains may begin to form. What’s important is that we don’t let them go untended. Leaks don’t often stop on their own, and stains don’t typically go away. The sooner we catch the leaks, though, the more likely we will be able to stop them. The sooner we address the stains, the more likely we will be able to remove them.
God created us to be in relationship. If we start with the right materials and attend to the details, our relationships are more likely to withstand the leaks without becoming a problem. Trust me, it’s worth the time and effort.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Aug 28th, 2023
Must You Ask?
I remember a conversation with close friends many years ago in which we discussed what our outside spending limit was for a pet. Our friend’s dog was dealing with some health issues at the time and they were struggling with how much they were willing to spend for treatment… for a pet. Given that both we and our friends were young and relatively new to our careers (that’s code language for “we didn’t make a lot of money”), it may not come as a surprise that our threshold was pretty low. Basically, we were willing to get the necessary annual required vaccinations, but if anything “serious” came along … well…
Fast forward 20 plus years to where we are now. This week, one of my days started off with a trip to the veterinarian because our puppy had a number of issues that needed to be addressed. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that had the old spending thresholds remained in place, our pup would have been available for immediate adoption. I did find myself half-jokingly asking him if he thought he was worth the expense. He looked up at me with his adorable eyes and loving smile as if to say, “must you ask?”
The truth is, with few exceptions, our family is full of avid dog lovers. Because of that, and our shared affinity for adorable Instagram posts that feature dogs (especially puppies, Labrador retrievers, or Golden Retrievers), we are often sharing posts back and forth in an unspoken competition to see who can find the most adorable or funny or inspirational. While taking a moment to browse through my feed this morning, I ran across an inspiring post meant to describe humans with pets (as you will see, “pet owners” doesn’t apply here).
Accompanying the images of a golden retriever named “Maui” was the following voiceover…
“In Hawaiian, you don’t call yourself your pet’s owner. You are their “Kahu.” Kahu has many meanings. Among them, guardian, protector, steward, beloved attendant…basically someone entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious, something cherished. What a kahu protects is not their property, what they protect is a part of their soul.”[i]
Of course, it solidified my resolve and justified my expenditure (there was no way I would put him up for adoption!). His adoption into our family is a lifelong covenant.
The post also reminded me of the immense worth of all of creation in God’s sight. The Holy Spirit is, by this definition, our “Kahu.” We are the “something precious… something cherished.” We have been adopted into the family of God and it is a lifetime (forever) covenant. There is no price to high to pay, no threshold by which God’s love for us will be bound our limited. God is a part of us and we are a part of God. God would never put to us the question, “do you think you’re worth the expense?” We need not use our “puppy dog eyes” or our beaming smile to gain God’s love and protection.
If anything, it is us who find ourselves wondering whether or not we are worth it. And, in our wonder, God says, “must you ask?”
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Instagram, @maui_thegoldenpup
For the week of Aug 21st, 2023
GPS
I have always been pretty good at directions… finding my way from one place to another, and, once I’ve been there, remembering the way back. Twenty years ago, however, I found myself assigned to an area of the United States where some of the cities were difficult to navigate. Towns and communities were nestled in valleys surrounded by meandering ridges that all looked the same. Rather than neatly arranged intersections where two streets cross at perpendicular angles, I found myself encountering intersections where three or more roads came together at the same place. Lucky for me, GPS technology for general use was became available around the same time. And I quickly became dependent on GPS technology to keep me from getting lost in those cities. I now use the GPS every time I get in the car, though it is often for the purpose of getting an ETA for my trip.
Several years ago, my wife began using an app on her phone to replace her GPS. I was hesitant to switch over because I was used to the GPS and had rarely been led astray. It had nothing to do with the fact that if I switched, I would have to admit that my wife found “a better way.” Well, I recently used the app and found it’s “real time” suggestions for alternative routes to be very helpful. Apparently, the app can see the bigger picture and, because it knows where traffic jams, construction, and slow downs are, it is constantly evaluating other routes and making suggestions for altering your path.
Recently, I was headed to an event with family and friends, and, even though I had been to the venue many times and was very familiar with how to get there, I decided to use the highly recommended app and to follow it no matter where it led. (For the record, I also put the venue in my GPS so that I could compare ETAs). Suffice it to say that the question, “why are we going this way?,’ was expressed numerous times during the trip. We were directed down side roads … led on and off the freeway … and generally taken on a behind the scenes tour of the city. There is no way I would have been able to repeat the route in reverse, nor explain the reasoning behind the directional choices. But… we made it to the venue without delay and ahead of the time suggested by the GPS.
Who knows what time we would have arrived if we went the way we usually go? But my guess is that if we had gone the way we thought we were supposed to go, we would have been late the event venue.
The same is true in our journey with God. In a recent Instagram post, @russelldafourth, tells of a similar GPS experience he had while taking his dad to a doctor’s appointment. In the post, he comes to the realization at “this is kind of like how God does us. We think we know the way. And, because we think we know the way, when God [leads] our lives in a direction that we never thought we would go. We start thinking that we’re further behind… we’re not going to get where we’re supposed to get. What I love about God is [God’s] vision is not like our vision. We can only see to the corner, but God sees around the corner. We can only see to the mountain, but God sees over the mountain. So there are some things that God is [leading] us to and because we don’t understand it, we think that we’re being delayed… To trust God is not just to trust [God’s] plan for your life, but also to trust [God’s] route and [God’s] timing.”
Are you set in your ways, or are you willing to place your trust in the ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning System)? With a little faith and trust, there’s not telling what you might encounter along the way that you otherwise would have missed.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Aug 14th, 2023
Put the Glass Down
Someone recently sent me an Instagram “reel” that I thought was worth sharing. Though I believe it’s a message that is generally beneficial to everyone, I think it is especially important for those attempting to maintain spiritual health and wholeness. It’s also important for those, like you and I, attempting to bring to reality God’s peaceable kingdom.
In the Instagram Reel…
A professor, holding a glass of water, asks his students,
“How heavy is this glass of water?” Several students take a guess at the weight
of the glass. “8oz… 12 oz… 16 oz.” Then, the professor continues…
“The absolute weight of the glass doesn’t matter. It depends
on how long I hold on to it.
If I hold it for a minute nothing happens.
If I hold it up for an hour, my arm begins to ache.
If I hold it all day long, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed.
Well, the weight of the glass hasn’t changed, but the longer I hold on to it the heavier it becomes.
The stresses and the worries of life are like this glass of water.
If you think about them for a little while, there’s no problem.
If you think about them a little bit longer, it begins to hurt.
If you think about them all day long, you’ll feel paralyzed … incapable of doing anything.
Always remember, put the glass down.”[i]
Long ago, someone told me that when we refuse to forgive, we give up a part of ourselves. One might argue that, when a relationship is broken because of a misunderstanding or a hurtful word or deed, both parties suffer. But the reality is that it is the one who cannot or will not forgive … the one who holds the grudge … that suffers the most. One might also argue that they can just move on… that the relationship doesn’t matter … that they are better off without the offender in their lives. And, to a certain degree that may be true. However, it is also true that the lingering anger, envy, or hurt on to which one holds takes space in their hearts and souls that might otherwise be occupied by love, grace, and generosity.
I don’t know about you, but I have experienced that personally. Some time ago, I had a disagreement of sorts with a group of people. For a while following the incident, both sides (yes that includes me) held on to the hurt and the idea that any fault lay with the other person(s). Fate and circumstance did not allow for either side to simply move on. Continued encounters were inevitable. And, with each encounter, the hurt and disappointment were combined with anxiety. I can’t speak for the others involved, but for me, it became a block to my ability to engage in ministry with the same joy I experienced in other settings. By not “putting down my glass” (aka offering grace and forgiveness), I was in some ways paralyzed. I was essentially giving away a part of myself, and, as a consequence, I and my ministry were suffering. The day finally came when I could set pride aside and admit that it was time to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. It was time to put down the “glass.” All I can say is that the result was liberating. The part of my heart that I had allowed to be held hostage by another was returned… the possibility of reconciliation became a reality.
Is there a “glass” that you need to put down? Are you willing to set aside your pride and listen to the call of the Holy Spirit reminding you of the power of grace and forgiveness? What part of yourself might you reclaim by making space in your heart for love, grace, and generosity instead of anger, envy, and hurt?
Don’t wait to put down your glass. It’s only you that you are hurting!
Blessings,
Blake
[i]
Instagram, “How much water is in this glass?,” @thequotecircles, (UK).
Forthe week of Aug 7th, 2023
Magic
Today I was listening to a favorite podcast. In the most recent episode, one of the storytellers told of doing magic tricks for his nephew at a family gathering. After several tricks and lots of questions from his nephew, the man decided to show his nephew how the “magic” was done. He ended the encounter by telling his nephew that it’s just a trick… there is no magic.
Later, reflecting on his own life journey and an experience he had as a teenager while exploring his native culture and religion, wished he had a chance to go back and tell his nephew something different. To get the story, you’ll have to listen to the podcast, but suffice it to say that the experience included faith and trust as well as an unexplainable outcome. It had been a life changing experience for the storyteller, but as a professor it was also an experience that he couldn’t explain amidst his current belief in science and reason.
The storyteller, in revealing the secrets of his magic “tricks,” had contributed to diminishing his nephew’s sense of awe as well as his trust in the possibility of the unbelievable, the unexplainable, and the unseen. We all live in a world where we are encouraged to discount what cannot be proven or explained. And yet, our faith tells us that we must not discount those things. At the heart of our faith is a God who cannot be proven … a God who is famous for showing up in unbelievable and unexplainable ways … a God who cannot be seen (at least not in a single expression or physical presence) … a God who typically shows up in unexpected places and people and circumstances. It is, to a large extent, the mystery of God … the unknowable-ness, and the unexplainable-ness … that makes God God.
“Now faith is the assuranceof things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” (Hebrews 11:1,3 NRSVUE)
Magic as we know it, the use of illusions to create a desired perspective or altered reality, is in fact a trick or series of tricks intended to entertain and draw us in. God, on the other hand, uses neither illusions nor trickery to draw us in. God does not set out to entertain. God only seeks to reconcile the world to God’s self by being God… a task which is full of mystery and awe … and perhaps even a little “magic.” (aka miracles).
Are you one who looks at life with a sense of awe? Do you allow yourself to be made “speechless”… to have your breath taken away by the unexpected mystery of God? Do you leave room in your life and beliefs for a little “magic?” Or, are you one who has no time or patience for the unknown and unexplainable? I, for one, don’t want a God that is explainable or predictable or even completely knowable. With a God like that, what need would there be for God? We could do it all on our own. Sure, some think that’s possible, but I think not.
The podcast’s storyteller ends by saying that he wishes he could have a do over with his nephew. He wishes he could tell him…
“A lot of decisions you’re going to have to make in life… the safe route is the best route to go. But there are going to be those moments when you’ve got to take that leap of faith, because there is “magic.” And, when the time is right it will find you.”[i]
We will all have a lot of decisions to make in life. As the Body of Christ, the safe route is to take a step out in faith … to follow God’s lead. Because there is “magic,” and when the time is right, it will find you.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Chenjerai
Kumanyika, “Occasional Magic,” The Moth Radio Hour podcast. August 9, 2023. https://themoth.org/radio-hour/occasional-magic
For the week of July 31st, 2023
Don’t Hesitate
There are lots of reasons why we do the things we do. We do things because they bring us joy (or they bring joy to someone we love), because they offer a sense of adventure, because someone asked us or encouraged us or pressured us to, because it felt “right,” or because there was nothing better to do. I wonder though how often, when asked the question “Why did you do that?,” our answer is “When God tells you to do something, don’t hesitate!”
Yesterday, I took the time to go and see the movie, The Sound of Freedom. While at camps this summer, I had heard several people talk about the importance of the movie, and the need for everyone to see it. There is much to be learned and taken from the movie, and I would agree that it is something people should strongly consider seeing (some things are just made more real when they are not simply a statistic on a page). That said, it was the line, “When God tells you to do something, don’t hesitate!” that resonated with me, and has been in my head ever since.
I wish I could say that I have never hesitated when feeling the promptings of God to do something. If I’m being honest, there are times when I’ve done much more (or much less, depending on your perspective) than hesitate. In some instances, I have flat out ignored the gentle nudgings I have sensed. And in other instances, I have reached into my arsenal of excuses… I’m not good enough. I’m not strong enough. I’m imagining it. Someone else will do it. That’s not my area of giftedness. I already do enough. I’m too busy today… maybe tomorrow. Sound familiar?
I too often like the little comfort zone in which I live. Surely, it has it’s own share of chaos and trials and mishaps, but they are familiar because they are mine. There is too much unknown in other people’s issues. Too many questions to ask. Too many risks to take. What if I become emotionally drawn in by it? What if I connect with someone that is able to dismantle the protective walls that I’ve so carefully constructed?
To those questions Christ answers,
12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[h] to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. (John 14: 12-17, NRSVUE)
I had heard that The Sound of Freedom was not a “feel-good” movie, and let me just say that it lives up to that reputation. Unfortunately, there is a lot in our world that doesn’t feel good. Often, however, it is to those things that God calls us.
Many will probably avoid seeing the movie, or movies like it, because they cannot stand to see children (or anyone for that matter) being hurt. I understand that. I really do. Just know that God will not leave you alone in those things to which you are called.
When God tells you to do something… don’t hesitate!
Blessings, Blake
For the week of July 24th, 2023
Seek first…
When I began in ministry thirty years ago, one of the trending self-help courses was Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”[i] Habit five was one that really resonated with me. It was, “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.”[ii] For years, I used that as a sort of mantra, and I did everything in my power to help others see the importance of that habit. I truly believed that not only would I be a better person and minister if I followed that principle in my own life, I also believed that the world would be a better place if everyone incorporated it in their lives. For the record, I still believe that it is important.
However, over time, I have found that something more is needed. Perhaps it’s only me, but I have found that there are times when true understanding is not possible. With the exponential increase in access to global information in real time, we have opened conversations to things never before considered. Advancing technologies have opened doors to things that have otherwise been unthinkable/impossible. The ability to talk about things previously forbidden due to cultural “norms” has increased our awareness of the possibilities as well as the struggles surrounding real life topics like sexual orientation, gender identity, gender roles, racial diversity, cultural diversity, welcome and inclusion… just to name a few.
The inability to fully understand the life experience and context of another is not only a church issue. It is a wider cultural issue. Because we do not and cannot understand, we seem to be giving up. It’s as if there is no longer a reason to even come to the table. Walking a mile in the shoes of another doesn’t work when the shoes just don’t fit. As a result, we have replaced “seeking understanding” with seeking reasons and rationalizations (aka excuses) for why we don’t even try to meet others at the table.
In an effort to clarify what is important, the writer of the Gospel According to Matthew writes, “…seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.” (Matt 6:33 NRSV). In the absence of understanding, I have found the best way to accomplish this is to seek first to listen … really listen … to the scriptures, of course, but also to the voices of those who have gone before, and to the voices of those who struggle to be heard now. I believe that God’s righteousness demands that we not simply ignore or devalue what we cannot understand. Much of what God has done and is doing would qualify to be discarded if we did.
Ultimately, we are called to create sacred community (the peaceable kingdom of God on earth), and that cannot be done if we do not seek first to listen… a task that also requires us to …
“Put away from [us] all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven [us].” (Ephesians 4:33 NRSV)
I spent the last two weeks at family camps in which I had several opportunities to “seek first to listen.” As far as I know, no minds were changed, but hearts were transformed as we experienced the value of being heard. In those moments of connection and listening, God helped us create space for one another and remember our deeper calling to participate in Christ’s mission.
What will you “seek first” this week that will allow you to meet others at God’s table?
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Stephen R. Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, (New York: Free Press, 1989)
[ii]
Ibid.
For the week of July 3rd, 2023
Radical Hospitality
Having grown up in the South, I am well-acquainted with the idea and practice of hospitality. Everyone knows that you should always be ready to welcome a guest unannounced … right? Even if the guest arrives at mealtime, there should always be enough to share, and an extra chair to pull up to the table. Back “in the day,” it was not unusual to drop in on friends for a visit. My friends were always welcome to stay for dinner, and I could count on the same hospitality being offered to me in a similar situation. There was always an open, even if “unspoken,” invitation to anyone.
But, times have changed (even in the South I imagine). Life is busier. People aren’t able to be quite as spontaneous as they used to be. And, with busier life styles, you’re less likely to catch someone at home if you just drop by unannounced. Needless to say, good old-fashioned hospitality is hard to come by. One might say that any hospitality these days is “radical hospitality.”
Truly radical hospitality, however, is more than welcoming friends who drop in, whether expected or not. Radical hospitality in the scriptures means welcoming the stranger … the outcast, the widow, the orphan, the undesirable, the sinner, the immigrant, the other. It goes against common sense and comfort, and, in today’s world, perhaps even safety. I wonder if, given the violence that has become rampant in our world today, Jesus would raise the bar in deciding to whom hospitality ought to be offered. Probably not.
Recently, my daughter’s hospitality got put to the test in a very unexpected way. She and her husband recently moved into their new home. They were very excited to get everything put in its place and get the house prepared to welcome guests. Although my daughter had received guests at the small townhome she owned prior to getting married, the “accommodations” were quite limited. Their new home came with an actual “guest room,” so there would finally be room to show true hospitality … maybe even radical hospitality …after all of the boxes were emptied.
Much to their chagrin, however, “guests” showed up, both unannounced and unexpected, and made themselves right at home. The guests were a pair of Robins who very quickly built a nest on top of the porch light by the front door. Not only that, but within 24 hours of the beginning of the project, there were three eggs in the porch light nest as well as eggs in two other hanging plants between the door and the driveway. Like it or not, they were there to stay.
Suffice it to say, my daughter is not a big fan of birds … especially ones that have become gate keepers to the front entrance of their home. The fact that the nest was allowed to stay had nothing to do with radical hospitality. She simply could not bring herself to remove the nest and eggs. However, the minute the baby birds are able to fly… all bets are off. For now, they accommodate their guests by entering and exiting the house via alternative paths and allowing them the space that they need.
As Christians, we are called to offer radical hospitality, and though it doesn’t mean we have to become bird lovers, it does mean that we may have to accommodate others in ways that are a little uncomfortable to us … ways that cause us to adjust our routine. After all, it’s usually only for a short time. And though, in the moment, the costs (emotionally and/or financially) seem unbearable, the resulting joy is priceless.
Maybe you’re not one to share your home with others… especially strangers … but you can find ways to share radical hospitality with others in ways that could change a life. Who knows, it might even change yours.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 26th, 2023
God and Country
Back when I was in middle school and high school, I was a very active member of the Boy Scouts of America. And, yes, I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. And though I realize that the program has changed significantly and the organization itself has had issues, I have many positive memories from the experiences I had during those years. Besides the goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, it was especially important, for me, to earn what was then called the “God and Country” medal (I think this particular medal has been replaced by others like “God and Life,” “God and Church,” etc.), because it represented two very important parts of my life… being a Christian, and being patriotic … loving God and loving country.
I didn’t think too deeply about the implications of being a Christian and a patriot at the time, I just knew that I loved God and I was a good, law-abiding citizen. I knew, because I had been told time and again, that I had rights, and privileges and freedoms because I was American. To say that I loved my life (my family, my friends, my church, and even my country) would not be a stretch. To say that I took it for granted that everyone had what I had would also not be a stretch. I wouldn’t know until years later just how privileged I was and how insulated I had been from all of the negative things many people experience on a daily basis. Even once I was introduced to persons who were considered as “other” or who experienced life in ways “other” than the way I did, I didn’t see a disconnect between my Christian beliefs and the flag to which I pledged allegiance. Perhaps that is because, there doesn’t have to be a disconnect.
The Boy Scout Oath includes a promise to “do my duty to God and my country,” and reverence is the closing element of the Scout Law. To be a Christian is to love God, and to be a patriot is to love one’s county. There is no reason that both can’t co-exist in an individual as long as love of God always comes first, and is always the measuring stick by which one measures their love of anything else… including their country. Like all institutions, organizations, nations, groups and individuals, there are things in our country’s past (and present) that are not representative of God or God’s will.
Community of Christ Doctrine and Covenants Section 163:3c reminds us that…
“There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God.”
Sure, America is a deeply blessed nation in many ways. There are many things about America to love. But that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love and bless all of God’s creation, including all the people and nations of the world. It is important that as we “celebrate” the birth of our great nation… we must remember that it is “one nation (not the only nation) under God.” For me, there is a distinct difference between patriotism (love of nation) and nationalism (idolization of a nation). As Christians, we must remember that we are only part of God’s great creation, and our call is to work toward the building of God’s peaceable kingdom on earth … a kingdom of love and light that is for all people and includes all people.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 19th, 2023
Whom Can You Trust?
Who doesn’t like a good deal? I know I do. Though I don’t make a habit of it, every once in a while, I like to drop in at garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, and even online market places. Sometimes it’s because I’m looking for something in particular. More often than not, however, it’s because I just want to see what unexpected “treasure” might happen to have made it to the shelves and at a price I can’t refuse.
These days, online marketplaces are just as prevalent (and much easier to peruse from the comfort of home) as other bargain shopping options. When they first started becoming popular, it was a great way to bargain shop. Transactions were fast and straight forward. And, at least for me, it seemed that most buyers and sellers could be trusted at their word. Inquiries were usually made by real people, and interested parties could be trusted to show up when they said they would.
Recently, I decided to try my hand at selling some items online. Within minutes, I received an offer for one of the items I had listed. I entered into a dialogue with the perspective buyer, and all appeared to be going well. It wasn’t long, however, before I realized that something was not right. I decided then to dig a little deeper before responding any further. The long and short of it is that the “person” on the other end was trying to scam me. I’m not sure how the scam was supposed to work, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I simply deleted the chat thread.
How often to we find ourselves feeling like we are being scammed… when we don’t know whether the person with whom we are talking (on line or in person) is “real?” How often do we find ourselves feeling it best to simply “delete the chat thread” (aka. end the conversation, sever the relationship)? Unfortunately, these things don’t happen exclusively with online interactions, and, they are not limited to attacks on unsuspecting senior citizens.
Anyone can be a “target” of scams and deceptions if they are not careful. But we need not become so “careful” that we fear being in relationship with one another … so “careful” that we build defensive “walls” that prohibit the building of sacred community.
As disciples of Jesus, we have come to know what it means to be able to trust in God and God’s promises. God does not disappoint. God does not deceive. God always shows up… even if it is not in the way we expect or desire. God is real, and God is God!
Jesus came to announce and make present the peaceable reign of God … a condition where all are treated justly and where deception is non-existent … where abundant life is available for all of creation … and where trust isn’t an issue.
We cannot control what others do or how they treat us. We can, however, control how we treat others… how we respond to others … how we talk to others … how we talk about others … and how we share God’s love with others … just by being our true selves. We can be worthy of trust. We can shine the light of Christ by engaging in honest, mutually respectful relationships that honor God’s desire for reconciliation and healing in the world.
We probably won’t be able to accomplish much through online marketplaces, garage sales, or thrift stores, but we have to start somewhere. Perhaps it’s as simple as asking ourselves, “Can we be trusted?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 12th, 2023
As Old as Time
A tale as old as time. And yet, a tale that continues to be a reality in our world even today. On the surface, it’s a tale of unrequited love … a tale where two persons from different cultures or walks of life fall into forbidden love which ultimately leads to death. But underneath, I believe, there is a darker (if that is even possible), more prevalent “tale” … a tale of enmity, and hatred, and bias, and competition, and stereotyping, and “otherness.” A tale that reflects divisions that it would seem we cannot overcome and yet one that, as the Body of Christ … the living, breathing, representatives (disciples) of Jesus … must overcome if we want to accomplish the building of the peaceable kingdom … the reign of God on earth.
The tale truly is as old as time. Perhaps one of the most famous tellings, however, comes from William Shakespeare. Drawing on Arthur Brooke’s 1562 poem, “The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet,” Shakespeare brings the story of forbidden love to stage in Romeo and Juliet. And though there have been many adaptations and versions of the tale both before and after, another well-known telling of the tale, West Side Story, hit the stage in 1957. In both stories, we are captured by the budding romance that takes place, and saddened by the tales endings, but what about the real cause of the forbidden love and the tragic endings.
Last night, I went to see West Side Story live on stage. Though I had seen the production both on stage and in film, I was deeply moved by the seriousness of the “hidden tale”… the story within the story. I was particularly moved by the words of the female lead, Maria, as she stood over the body of Tony … gun in hand … raging at those who stood around in silence … members and representatives of the two warring gangs who had let hatred and enmity and racial differences and deeply seated prejudices guide their actions. She said, in no uncertain terms, “We killed him!” She did not place the blame solely on the one who had pulled the trigger. Instead, she acknowledged that in buying in to the all of the divisive rhetoric that serves to tear one person or group down in an effort to build up another… they had all contributed to the tragic place in which they had found themselves.
How long must this continue? How many times have we allowed a stereotype or misperception or tale determine our response and reaction to those who are or just appear to be different from us? When will we allow the love of God to fully transform us so that we might see others through God’s eyes, and that we might begin to understand the richness that is realized when diverse peoples and cultures come together to share and celebrate the best of what they have to offer so that all might grow and thrive?
Inspired counsel given to Community of Christ reminds us…
It is imperative to understand that when you are truly baptized into Christ you become part of a new creation. By taking on the life and mind of Christ, you increasingly view yourselves and others from a changed perspective. Former ways of defining people by economic status, social class, sex, gender, or ethnicity no longer are primary. Through the gospel of Christ, a new community of tolerance, reconciliation, unity in diversity, and love is being born as a visible sign of the coming reign of God. (Doctrine and Covenants 164:5)
Be not consumed with concern about variety in human types and characteristics as you see them. Be passionately concerned about forming inclusive communities of love, oneness, and equality that reveal divine nature. (Doctrine and Covenants, 165:3d)
Too many precious lives have been lost unnecessarily as a result of our unwillingness to “Draw the Circle Wide.”[i] The tale is old as old as time and as current as the daily news, but until the ending is different, it must continue to be told. May we be a part of the new tale that Christ has called us to tell… a tale that makes space for the reign of God.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] “Draw the Circle Wide,” Community of Christ Sings, #273.
For the Week of May 29th, 2023
Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose
Over the last 20 years or so, I have become more and more of an advocate of recycling. Though I have not mastered recycling to the point of having no disposable trash (not sure that day will ever come), I try to do all that I can. As for reusing and repurposing, that too is a work in progress. Though I must say that the advent of social media (Pinterest, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.) has made it a little easier and a whole lot more fun. I’m often amazed at the “hacks” that people come up with to solve ongoing problems using (or re-using) common household items.
Growing up, I was not stranger to “reuse.” My parents, having been born during the Great Depression were brought up by those who knew how to make the best of what they had. I can’t tell you how many years my mom got us kids involved in making items to sell at the church bizarre using everything from bottle caps and popsicle sticks to toilet paper rolls and mason jars. Anyone over the age of 50 knows what I’m talking about.
Repurposing, on the other hand, didn’t really come into play for me until the last 5 to 10 years. Having had a desire to get involved in woodworking, but not having the room (until recently) to have an actual woodworking shop, I turned my attention to repurposing older used furniture. It seemed like old used furniture was in abundance at flea markets and garage sales, so there was always something to work on. It was an admirable hobby. I especially enjoyed seeing the cast-off furniture put back into use.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the place and purpose of church in the lives of those I serve, and in the lives of those I haven’t yet met, but am being called to serve. Many would say that the church must change … not its purpose, but rather how it envisions and achieves its purpose. Between the recent pandemic and continuous growth in technology, the church as an institution has seen that new ways of being can be just as effective (or even more effective) in accomplishing Christ’s mission in the world.
Although this should be a sign of hope, it is often overshadowed by the feelings of those who have given their lives to do things a particular way in order to reach a particular end. Rather than allowing the prospect of change to be a sign of hope, we often see it as a sign of failure. But it’s not. We would not be where we are today without the deep commitment of generations of people who faithfully served to bring about Christ’s vision for healing and reconciliation through the Gospel message. The fact that we might have to make that message available in new ways, or that we might, ourselves, have to reconsider our giftedness and calling in accordance with the growing needs of a changing world, does not mean that we have failed.
What will be important going forward … in our relationships … in our personal faith journey … in our discipleship … and in our witness … is that we be willing to recycle what can be recycled, reuse what can be reused, and allow ourselves to be repurposed for the purposes of an unchanging God in a rapidly changing world context. That’s right… whatever you’ve been doing for the last 20+ years may still be your calling, but what if it’s not? Should you be cast off to the curb as having no value, or might you, with a little “sanding and polishing,” and perhaps a new “coat of varnish” find new life and new purpose? I’m guessing that there is still a lot of good, useful years left in you… and in the church.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 22nd, 2023
Gentle Breeze or Violent Wind
With this being the week before Pentecost… the day when…
“…suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where [the disciples] were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability…”[i]
I was particularly aware of the increasing force of the wind this afternoon as I sat working in my back yard. It started as a light and gentle breeze, providing just enough cool to balance the heat coming from the sun, but not enough force to be disruptive. Though it was not destructive at its strongest, it was certainly disruptive… blowing papers about and tossing pens and pencils from table to ground. However, although it got stronger as the day went along, it never got as bad as I have seen since moving to (or more correctly… near) the “windy city.”
I have seen winds whip across our back yard and lift our fairly large gas grill, literally throwing it off the deck. The wind has been so intense at times that other large items have also been tossed around like feathers. Last summer, one wind storm nearly removed a temporary screen porch that was fastened down … with screws … to the deck, mangling some of the screen panels. This is the image that comes to mind when I read the “Pentecost” passage from Acts chapter 2. Perhaps you’ve experienced similar wind events and have similarly formed images.
Because I’ve had these experiences with strong winds, the image formed in my head is not a particularly comforting image. And yet, throw in a few tongues of fire, and you have the story that relates the experience of the coming of the Comforter… the Holy Spirit … to the people that were gathered in Jerusalem on that infamous day in the life of the church.
How do you experience the Holy Spirit in your life? Is it more like a gentle breeze that cools the air, or is it more like a violent wind followed by tongues of fire that “heats” things up? Maybe, it’s a little bit of both. Sometimes all we need to recognize the presence of the Spirit in our lives is a gentle breeze or a still small voice. At other times, however, we need to be raised from our “slumber,” shaken out of our hypnotic state brought on by busyness or apathy or grief or simple everyday distractions. I admit, it’s easy to ignore a gentle breeze when you have other things on your mind. And, I have been accused of needing “a fire lit under me” before.
The important thing about the Spirit is that, no matter how distracted you get, it will always be with you. It will never leave you. In Psalm 139, the psalmist asks God, “Where can I go from your Spirit?” The answer is … nowhere. Just know that the Holy Spirit is not above using a little force if needed to get your attention.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Acts 2: 2-4 (NRSVUE)
For the week of May 15th, 2023
The Earth is Groaning
Last night as I watched a very peculiar sunset (the setting sun appeared unusually small and orange, almost like a light bulb about to burn out… all of which was due to the fires raging in the West), I was reminded of how important it is for us to take seriously our call to live in ways that honor the sacredness of creation.
I believe that the author of the article from which the following is taken has captured just how important it is…
“Jesus paused to let saliva pool in his mouth and then launched it into the dirt at his feet. He bent down and mixed the two to form mud. Then, Jesus gathered it on his fingertips and pressed the mixture over another’s eyes. He offered a healing touch with earthen things…Jesus Christ’s relationship with creation is one of intimacy and kinship.
I once imagined Jesus’ relationship to the soil, water, fruits, and creatures as wielding power over these created elements to perform miracles. But, upon further reflection, this is not how Jesus relates to power or others. In his life and ministry, Christ gives power to others, not over them. And he partners with creation for the healing of our world. Jesus Christ’s relationship with all creation, sentient and insentient, is intimate, known wholly from the beginning, and named by God as good…
Our Earth is groaning. We have neglected a loving, right relationship with creation for far too long… There is a holy invitation to see the restoration of this relationship as paramount to our discipleship as Christians…
Judges 19 is referred to, by scholar Phyllis Trible, as one of the “texts of terror.” A husband and his wife/concubine were traveling. As dusk came, they went door to door, looking for a place to stay. Finally, a man welcomed them into his home and extended hospitality to the travelers. As night came, so did a gang of wicked men. They heard of the visitors staying in the town and went to the man’s house, banging on the door and demanding, “Bring out your guests so that we may abuse them!” Fear filled the home. The host said he would not offer the husband but instead would offer his daughter or the husband’s wife/concubine. But the corrupt men continued to threaten them, pounding on the door. In a blink of an eye, the guest grabbed his own wife/concubine and threw her out to them. The unnamed woman offered to the wicked men was gang raped and abused throughout the night. The story reads,
Then at daybreak, the woman came and collapsed at the entrance of the house in which her husband was a guest, where she lay until the morning. When her husband rose that day and opened the door of the house to start out again on his journey, there lay the woman, his concubine, at the entrance of the house with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Come, let us go,” but there was no answer.” (Judges 19:26-30, NAB)
The mental image of the woman, hands at the threshold, brings me to tears every time. Why did they not stop to think of another way? Why, after they made the mistake of throwing her to those men, did they not wake up their neighbors, grab every pot and chair to rally, and charge in to save her? How did they not listen to her cries and come together in time?
Sadly, humans’ dominant relationship with our Earth is not far from this tragic story. Our Earth is the unnamed woman. Humans have allowed perceived threats to their safety, status, productivity, and acceptance to create catastrophic levels of terror for humankind. The result is that we have sacrificed the unnamed woman, our Earth, over and over again. We have sacrificed the Earth for too long, assuming She will be okay and ready to continue with us into the next part of our story. But some hear Her cries in the night. Now is the time for us to sacrifice together, to intervene. Let us not wait till dawn to respond to Her cries, for it will be too late. Our Mother needs us to respond now in every way we can.
Christians are called to do everything in love. Love requires a relationship free from abuse, neglect, or forced submission. It asks for deep listening, full presence, patience, and care. Let us wake our neighbors, churches, and leaders and grab every pot and chair to do what we can to stop the violence against Her. Let us then repent and beg Her forgiveness. Let us learn Her name(s) beginning with your town’s water source and your family’s food source. Next, let us learn the names of your local organic farmers and conservationists that can teach us the practice of deep listening to care for Her healing. But let us do this all together.
We can learn to love and honor what Jesus knew in mixing water and soil for a conduit of his healing touch, that loving Her begins with a conscious connection to the soil at your feet, the bird out your window, the water in your cup. And maybe, in doing so, we will find God’s kin(g)dom come, God’s will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven in the community of creation before it is too late.[i]
I don’t know about you, but I hope that many generations to come will have the benefit of spending a beautiful afternoon outdoors.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Julianne Snape, “On Earth As In Heaven,” Ministry Matters,https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/11537/on-earth-as-in-heaven. April 25, 2023.
For the week of May 8th, 2023
Filling the Nest
We had heard talk about it for years… life as empty nesters. We have always been the type of family that is on the move. Like many families, our days, nights and weekends revolved around sports, choir, orchestra, drama, twirling, and dance, not to mention the games, concerts and recitals that go with each of those activities. Add to that the fact that both my wife and I have had jobs that require long hours (24/7 on call) and some travel. And… for most of the child-raising years, living no closer than 600 miles from the nearest family (a.k.a. babysitters… LOL). Chaos and action have been a way of life. Even my mother-in-law who raised five children of her own, says our life makes her tired. Needless to say, the thought of “empty nesting” held some appeal, or so we thought.
It hasn’t been that long since we finally became empty nesters, and though we could finally go to bed at night not worrying about where our kids were or what time they would be home … there was something missing. There’s just something live giving, for us, about the puzzle of making life work when there are multiple demands on the schedule that require careful planning. Being “on the move” type of people, we quickly found ways to fill our time. Yes, we had the occasional evening (at least once every three months) where we found ourselves sitting at home with nothing to do … or simply not wanting to do anything, but the busy schedules were just replaced by other busy-ness.
Fast forward to a week ago when our daughter and son-in-law … and their dog … and their cat … moved in with my wife and me … and our three dogs … to form a new, albeit short-term, family. All of the sudden, the passage from Acts 2 verse 44, “all (who believed) were together and shared all things in common,” took on new meaning. Life quickly became about compromise in a way that even a nuclear family doesn’t experience because their schedules and traditions and customs are built together over years. The crazy thing is that it has been exciting and chaotic in a good way. Not only are we getting to spend more quality time with people we love, we are being given the opportunity to get a taste of the joy of bringing people together in unexpected ways.
The reality is that we are provided that opportunity every day as we encounter people in our daily lives who come from different settings. We all bring different values, traditions, customs, priorities, schedules, food favorites… and the list goes on… to those encounters. However, because we can just as quickly return to our own lives and routines, we rarely get to experience the beauty (and mystery) of the diversity that is uncovered only when we spend extended periods of time together… living with and learning from one another.
I’m not suggesting that everyone move in with another family in order to experience diversity up close and personal. I am, however, suggesting that we would all benefit from extended encounters with persons who see and experience the world differently. The rest that is supposed to come with empty nesting might be alluring… especially to those for whom chaotic schedules are a norm … but we can always rest “tomorrow.”
If you’re already an empty nester, consider how you might “fill” your nest from time to time… even if only to enjoy dinner with neighbors or friends on occasion. If, on the other hand, your “nest,” and therefore your schedule. is still full, consider it an investment in your future to put a few new eggs in your nest.
Blessings,
Blake
Fro teh week of May 1st, 2023
More Than Meets the Eye
Things aren’t always as they seem. Just when you think you have understood something to it’s fullest, having observed the world around you and taken from it the “necessary” information, you find that there is more to be known or learned…another perspective that you hadn’t considered… a broader context for the issue at hand.
When we surround ourselves with the same people day after day… doing the same things… watching the same shows … gathering our news from the same news outlets … only making space in our lives for those things with which we are comfortable or that confirm what we already believe, it is easier to convince ourselves that our perceived reality is real for all … that our truth is the only truth … that what matters most to us IS what matters most. It is not a new phenomenon, but it is so deeply entrenched in most of our lives that it is eating away at the fabric of our communities… splitting families, dividing neighborhoods, blocking the formation of new relationships, and distracting us from what really matters most… Christ’s mission of peace and justice for all of God’s creation.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my denomination’s World Conference where folks from nations around the world gather to discuss and prayerfully consider important issues affecting our global community. As has often been the case, I went to the event believing that I had a solid understanding of the issues at hand, only to find that there was so much more to the issues than I could have imagined. Without going into all of the issues, suffice it to say that I had much to learn. And, I still have much to learn.
Listening to the stories and concerns of others as well as seeing things from a different perspective or cultural context opens us to discomfort because it demands a new way of thought … something that in turn may, if we are truly open to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, bring about individual and communal transformation.
I understand that the need for truth and assurance and consistency become more and more important in the midst of the chaos that is our current world situation. Unfortunately, rather than opening up our horizons to new cultures and ways of understanding, that need for absolute truth has caused us to retreat into “familiar” spaces, drawing lines in the sand, building walls, and re-embracing world views which serve to strengthen oppressive systems and create false hierarchies with regards to the worth of persons.
If I’ve learned anything from opening myself to the lives and stories of others, it’s that “there is more than meets the eye” when we take the time to listen to one another. There is brokenness and beauty, pain and joy, grief and celebration, hurt and healing. And, in the midst of it all, there is God.
This week, I encourage you to consider to whom God is calling you to listen. What perspective do you need to hear?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 17th, 2023
Springtime Beauty
Spring is always an exciting time… especially for those of us in places where snow is part of the winter routine. As trees begin to bud, flowers push through the thawing ground, and birds begin to find their way back to the feeders that may have hung dormant for a while, the general atmosphere grows lighter and happier. Unfortunately, with the arrival of Spring also comes the realization that all beauty is not natural… some of it takes a lot of work.
First of all, flowers and trees are not the only things “blooming” in the spring. Weeds that have laid dormant for a season are quick to add their color to the mix. Dandelions may look pretty at first, but the plants that briefly offer fields of bright yellow quickly wreak havoc as their roots deepen and their leaves spread … choking out the grass that surrounds them. And, if that’s not enough to be discouraging, there’s always the issue of pollen.
Additionally, new projects present themselves … some as urgent needs and some as hoped for improvements. Projects put off in the Fall demand prompt attention. Melting snow and increased sunlight hours begin to reveal the effects of time and weather on roofs, outdoor structures, roads and the like.
Don’t get me wrong… I love Spring. I just want to be honest and say that all that “glitters” isn’t gold… if you know what I mean. Anything worth having comes with a cost.
The same is true with our spiritual life. With an increase in closeness to God, and in turn, a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ, we begin to experience a “melting” of our hearts. We find ourselves surrounded by a budding awareness of God’s presence in our midst. Life somehow becomes brighter… as if each day offers more sunlight than the last.
Again, however, with added light and a warming heart, we are confronted by areas of our life that need maintenance and repair … reconciliation and healing … repentance and forgiveness. The “weeds” in our life may offer color for a while, but eventually they wreak havoc by drawing resources (our time and attention) away from the desired landscape of our lives. In order to continue to grow in our relationship with God, we must be willing to do the hard work (planting, painting, repairing, replacing, weeding) necessary to allow the beauty of that relationship to shine through.
The good news is that, because of God’s grace, the only thing we HAVE to do to be in relationship with God is to show up. Grass will grow in spite of the weeds, roads are drivable in spite of cracks and potholes. Outdoor structures will likely hold up in spite of their need for a fresh coat of paint. But, just like our relationship with God, all of these things will last longer and provide more beauty and enjoyment if we will do our part.
Enjoy Spring! The work required on your part to achieve the beauty you desire will be well worth the effort!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 10th, 2023
Season of Joy
Many of us see Easter as a one-day-a-year occurrence, when it is, in reality, a season lasting 50 days. It is the “feast” that comes after the “fast” of Lent. It is meant to be a time of joy and celebration. Because it usually comes during Spring, it is accompanied by budding flowers and trees, new growth, warming temperatures, the return of color to the canvas of nature, and a growing sense of well-being that comes with sun and fresh air.
At least, that’s what it ought to be! And what it can be! But there are some obstacles to overcome first. During Lent we were charged with the often uncomfortable work of self-reflection … focusing on those areas in our lives that might benefit from a little “rehab” work… seeking forgiveness where it was needed and offering forgiveness where it was warranted. The truly contrite might even have engaged in, dare I say, a little repentance. And, all of this was to grow closer to God and to prepare to receive the extraordinary gift of new life in Christ.
I imagine some Christians skipped over Lent … and went straight to the empty tomb (perhaps in search of easter eggs or a chocolate easter bunny). Some Christians, I’m sure, took the challenge seriously, while others gave it their “best shot”… going through the motions and showing up for church on Easter Sunday.
The obstacles to joy that we have to overcome often reside within ourselves … our pride, our schedules, our priorities, our excuses, our perceived needs… and sometimes … our arrogance. The idea that we can find true joy on our own is nothing more than a misguided notion. True joy only comes when we, having been created in the image of God, allow ourselves to be transformed by the knowledge that Jesus went to great trouble, even death, to prove how much we are loved, and how important all of the things were for which he stood.
As followers of Christ, this is our calling. This is our responsibility. This isour mandate. Our world so badly needs a “season of Joy,” We are not the only ones with the “tools” to create that joy. We are not the only ones with the calling, responsibility, and mandate, but we can’t wait for some other person or group to start the ball rolling. We know that God gets the last word. We believe that God wants us to know joy. Let’s take advantage of this “season,” and make the resurrection count for something more than just a religious holiday.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Apr 3rd, 2023 (Holy Week)
Easter is Coming
Here in the Midwest, the skies are darkened by cloud cover, rain is an almost daily occurrence, temperatures fluctuate drastically from day to day, and the spectrum of color in nature is limited. Sure, some plants have begun to show their heads, and some trees have begun to bud, but most of the midwestern created world is still hibernating… waiting expectantly, and perhaps patiently, for the coming of more consistent warmth and light … waiting for Spring to arrive in all its glory.
Nature, however, is not the only thing waiting expectantly for a brighter day. As disciples of Jesus who know how the story unfolds, what we expect is to live in the dark space between Good Friday and Easter morning, but these days it seems like Good Friday arrived early, and the dark space in-between is longer than it ought to be. I don’t know whether other parts of the country or the world are experiencing the same gloomy weather, but I do know that many of our brothers and sisters around the world live in the gloom of life’s reality (death, destruction, war, hunger, abandonment, chaos, school shootings, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, homelessness… just to name a few). It’s hard to hold on to hope in the midst of these things.
Too often we pass over Holy Week in anticipation of Easter morning, supposing that after we have celebrated the resurrection of Christ, all will be bright. We can pretend that the words “He is Risen” cures all that ails us and returns the world to God’s created order. But deep down, we know that’s not the case… at least not if Easter is just a day to dress up, hunt eggs, eat lots of food, and celebrate an event that happened over 2000 years ago.
Not all of our brothers and sisters are followers of Christ. There are many in our world for whom Easter is no more than a day on the calendar, if that. For them, there is nothing to distract them from the reality of life that is sometimes manifest in clouds, fluctuating temperature, and lack of color, but more often in suffering and desperation.
Easter is coming. We know that! But for Easter to have the affect on our world that it has for us in the moments following the darkness of Good Friday, we must do more than dress up and celebrate and even pray. We must allow the light of Christ that breaks through on Easter to move our hearts to compassion and action so that all might experience hope and peace.
Dr. Christian Edmond, in response to a recent school shooting where a member of her husband’s congregation was shot and killed, said in a Twitter post, “Without action, our prayers are faithless and insulting. Cruel and dishonoring. We mock God and victims when we use the notion of prayer to avoid good works.”
For some, Easter will be the boost that they need to get through the gloom. For others, it will take much more. It will take “a prophetic community … drawn from the nations of the world, that is characterized by uncommon devotion to the compassion and peace of God revealed in Jesus Christ.”[i]
Easter is coming! Are you ready to take the light and new life found in the resurrected Christ to your corner of the world in an active, life-giving way? Together, we can make a difference!
Blessings,
Blake
[i]
Doctrine and Covenants 163:11a.
For the week of Mar 27th, 2023
“Freedom” of Speech
There’s much talk about freedom of speech these days, and with it, a debate regarding whether or not that freedom gives people the right to offend others. There’s a fine line between speaking out against something that is not right and speaking out against something with which you disagree. They are not always the same thing!
Technically, we all have freedom of speech which gives us the “right” to say whatever we want…whenever we want. But with rights come responsibilities. And, as Christians, those “rights” also come with accountability…to God and to each other.
Consider these words from the online article What Christians Want to Know:
“We live in a world that enjoys tearing people down. From reality TV shows to the coarse interactions on talk radio—there is a continual display of putting people down instead of building them up. The misuse of words and actions can bring destruction spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
However, it should never be said of those who follow Christ. The church is built on the foundation of Christ’s love and continues to grow as we build up or edify other people with our words and actions. As followers of Christ, we are mandated by the Spirit of God to enlighten or improve the whole body of Jesus.”
Don’t forget…as members of the Community of Christ, we hold sacred a set of enduring principles which include, but are not limited to: Worth of All Persons, Unity in Diversity, Responsible Choices, and Blessings of Community…all of which ought to serve to guide our reactions to and interactions with others…regardless of age, religious affiliation, economic status, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or any other defining, and potentially marginalizing category.
As you browse headlines, twitter feeds, Instagram reels, Facebook posts, etc., consider your response carefully. Does it tear others down or criticize their point of view or does it engage them in edifying debate/conversation? Does it offer encouragement for a more Gospel influenced response, or does it encourage a counter attack? Is it “care full” or careless?
It is my prayer that we will be forerunners of Christ’s peace! We can make a difference!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Mar 20th, 2023
Tinting from Another Perspective
by Roger Hintzsche
Blake’s blog post from last week’s “From the Desk of…” on tinted windows got me to reflecting on vehicle window tinting from another perspective: that of the person(s) who are on the outside of the vehicle. Blake described what’s happening to one’s perception from the inside of the car as a driver or passenger. But what I’ve found from encountering vehicles with tinted windows is the frustration of not being able to make eye contact and receiving signals (like a wave, a smile—and oh, yes, the occasional finger telling me “I’m number one”) from a fellow driver.
I believe that one of the first rules of interpersonal communication is to be able to clearly see the person with which you’re engaged. For example, on a sunny day outside when I meet someone and engage in a conversation, I will take off my sunglasses. I always hope the other will do likewise because I want to see into the eyes of the person with which I am visiting. It’s amazing to me how many meaningful and rich cues come from simply eye-to-eye contact!
I also believe that the eyes are a window into the soul. A good listener not only hears what’s being said, but also the ways in which it’s said. This can facilitate a greater understanding and empathy for the speaker. Sunglasses do not help. In fact– don’t you get very distracted when someone is wearing highly reflective (like mirrored) sunglasses while you are holding a conversation with them? All I can see is myself reflected in their lenses, and if I don’t concentrate hard on the conversation or topic at hand, it’s easy for me to lose my intent. Plus, my eyes will focus back at my reflection and not into the eyes of the recipient.
When I was a student at Graceland, I remember there being a small group of dedicated students who did an experiment during a weekend retreat. If I recall correctly, they had been studying the ways Jesus might have related with others during his interpersonal moments. From this retreat this small group decided to go out and intentionally look into the eyes of anyone they met, looking past the glasses, the eyelashes and pupils, and looking instead through and into the soul of every person they encountered.
While I never heard of the results or learnings of their experiment, I can only conjecture that this experiment was an eye-opening (yes, pun intended!) experience. To this day I am intrigued by this experiment, wondering if I could have the discipline and courage to make this a habit in my interpersonal relations. And… what if we ALL did this? How might this transform and enrichen our relationships with each other? How might this elevate our whole experience with others in our communities?
Okay, back to the original subject: My frustration with tinted windows is that it isolates me from some of our “community” of all drivers and makes me suspicious of what’s/who’s in that vehicle. It causes me to feel uncaring for a fellow driver since I can’t see them anyway. I don’t like feeling that way especially since I’m trusting my life to an “anonymous driver” to me. I miss that visual cue, that glance or acknowledgment of another driver that might even result in avoiding an accident!
Tinted windows affect everyone in the “community,” from the inside AND the outside! My challenge is to still regard, respect and treat with courtesy the driver on the other side of that tinted window.
Peace,
Roger
For the week of Mar 13th, 2023
Tinted Windows
Back in the day when I bought my first car, the cool thing to do was to get your windows tinted. Fortunately, I couldn’t afford that because tinted windows are only cool on certain cars, and a used 1978 Toyota Corona didn’t make the list. Of course I didn’t know that because I wasn’t “cool” to begin with. Had I been able to afford it, there would have been just one more reason for me to be the target for humiliation. But that’s not the point here.
Besides the fact that tinted windows were a bit of a status symbol … at least in my circle of “friends,” there was a sense of mystery and intrigue that was associated with them. The darker the tinting the better. Having grown up in Florida, there was always the benefit of allowing less direct sunlight, and the heat that comes with it, into the car. But even more important was the fact that others couldn’t see in…they could only guess who and what was behind the window.
Fast forward to a few years ago when my wife and I purchased her a car that already had tinted windows. The fact was that they did create a shield to the bright sun and the corresponding heat. All of the things I had imagined about tinted windows had been accurate. But there were also unspoken disadvantages to the tinted windows as well. Sunlight was not the only light they blocked. At night, especially in extra dark places, it is nearly impossible to see out the windows. Consequently, I don’t like to drive that car at night.
The other night as I was driving the car, I was thinking about the conversations I have been having with others in recent days about beliefs. I couldn’t help but think about how our beliefs, when they are set in stone, can be like tinted windows.
When things are going well in our lives (when the sun is shining), our beliefs, no matter how inflexible they may be, offer a bit of comfort. They provide protection from the heat “outside” (the things that threaten our comfort… our way of understanding … our “settled” world). That, in and of itself is a good thing. However, when things get dark, those same beliefs can keep us from seeing the perspectives of others… perspectives that might give us clearer vision of the obstacles we face… perspectives that might help us see God’s amazing love for us more fully. In this case, the darker the tint (the more inflexible the beliefs), the more we are likely to miss. In addition, standing behind our “tinted windows” inhibits the ability of others to see inside our hearts to the places where our hurts, our doubts, our insecurities lie … inside our lives to the places where our brokenness hides and our longing for sacred connections remains tucked away.
I’m not suggesting that we all throw away the things we believe in. Many of those things have come with time and experience and discipline. What I am suggesting is that we ought to at least be willing to “roll down our tinted windows” from time to time so that we can see the world with the benefit of all the light available to us.
There is a lot of darkness in our world, but there is also a lot of light. Going through life with “tinted windows” may keep us comfortable, but what opportunities to further Christ’s mission in this world will we miss, or only “see through a glass dimly?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Mar 6th, 2023
Losing Time
Picture by Jernej Furman on Flickr
Time. As a child, I often wished it away…hoping the next birthday, or holiday, or weekend, or summer vacation would get here a little sooner… compelled by the boredom of endless days with “nothing” to do. Minutes seemed like hours, hours like days, days like weeks. Funny how things change.
Now, time is a precious commodity. There never seems to be enough of it. Any wishes I have regarding time these days are more about having extra hours in a day. To be honest, I’d settle for even a few more hours each week. I wish for enough time to finish a project, spend more time with family and friends, mark a few more things off the “TODO” list, hide away in my workshop making something fun.
So many things … so little time.
It’s no wonder that I’m not a huge fan of the beginning of Daylight Savings Time when we “spring forward” and lose an hour. Any loss of time is tragic. Of course, we’re supposed to be comforted by the fact that we’ll get it back in the Fall, but that doesn’t make the present “loss” any easier. The list of things that need to get done won’t wait until Fall.
The reality is that the shifting of time twice a year has little effect on my life. It happens during the early hours of the morning when I am (and most other people are) sleeping. Some people might adjust and go to bed an hour earlier … choosing to give up an hour of late-night television or a few more minutes of reading a favorite book rather than what may already be too little sleep. My routine, however, doesn’t really change much. My biggest concern most years is remembering to change the clocks so as to get to church at the right time… it is, for me, a workday after all.
As I thought about how lightly I really take the whole time change event, I was reminded how easy it is to take time for granted every other day of the year….time I won’t “get back” in the Fall. An hour here, a half an hour there. As time passes, minutes and hours aren’t the only things we lose. First steps are taken, children grow up, friends move away, loved ones die, special occasions come and go, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities disappear, precious moments that can’t be repeated or replayed slip through our fingertips. And all the wishing in the world won’t add more hours to our days, or bring back the ones we’ve already lost.
I shudder to think of how many things I’ve missed out on because I took time for granted. The only way to get the most out of our time is to cherish it, to spend it wisely doing things that matter … to us, to each other, to creation, and to God… to open our hearts and our eyes to recognize and receive the fullness of life that God desires for all of God’s creation.
One hour lost may not seem like much. But imagine all the things you can accomplish in an hour when you’re fully present and engaged. It may be as simple as being intentional about getting much needed rest (body and mind), or as involved as repairing a broken relationship, starting a new hobby, or checking items off the list of things that have been weighing you down.
This week, think about what it really means to “lose time.” Don’t let it depress you though. Use it as a motivator to make the most of every minute.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 27th, 2023
Fences
Having dogs is a wonderful thing… especially when you have a fenced yard. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, we moved to a home that doesn’t have a fenced yard. When considering the purchase of the home, we decided that installing a fence would have to be a priority so that our dogs would have the freedom to play outside. We had never known what life was like without a fence, and couldn’t imagine living any other way… until we moved in. We immediately fell in love with the unincumbered view and expansive feel of an open yard. The dogs would simply have to learn to be on a long leash when outdoors. How bad could it be?
Suffice it to say, that life on a leash is not as fun… for the dogs or for us. There’s something very nice about being able to just open the door and let the dogs out without having to watch them or join them…especially when it’s raining or snowing. (Apparently dogs are like the postal service. They “deliver” … rain, sleet, snow, or hail.)
To make a long story short, we decided to consider an underground fence system. We would get the benefit of the open space, and they would get the freedom to play in the yard without a leash. Everybody wins… or do they? Well, as it relates to our situation with the dogs, the answer is yes.
That said, this whole conversation about fences and boundaries has gotten me thinking about barriers in general. I think that in the larger world of fences and boundaries, “invisible fences” are just as harmful, if not more harmful, than the ones you can see.
We cannot deny the existence of above ground barriers, but “invisible fences” with which we surround ourselves are created without much thought. They are often based on stereotypes, implicit biases, half-truths, and misinformation. The “above ground” fence creates a physical barrier… albeit one that can be taken down. Underground (invisible) fences may make us feel uncomfortable enough to avoid them, but are still easy to ignore… and even easier to deny.
There is a song in the Up With People repertoire that is based on the recollections of Apollo 17 astronaut, Eugene Cernan, called “Moon Rider.” It’s about seeing the world from “a quarter million miles away.” His was a perspective that showed the world as one… without borders … without war. From that perspective, there were no fences, no borders, no boundaries … not even the invisible kind.
I’ve decided that in this season of Lent… a season of honest self-reflection and confession … it’s time for me to “dig up” some of the hidden fences so that I can eliminate the “shock” that happens when I get a little to close … the “shock” that sends me back to my deck… my safe domain … my comfortable habitat.
With what kind of “fences” have you surrounded yourself? Are there invisible fences in your life whose presence remind you to turn back … to run away … to avoid what’s on the other side?
Maybe we could all benefit from the removal of a fence or two. An unincumbered view might not be the only thing we gain.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 20th, 2023
An Invitation to the Lenten Journey
Welcome to Lent, a period of 40 days running from Ash Wednesday through Easter (not including Sundays) where we prepare for and anticipate the Resurrection of the Lord on Easter. It is a time of preparation and repentance… a time of waiting … a time of honest self-reflection … a time of “walking in the wilderness.” Yes, it has the potential to create great discomfort, but it also has the potential to bring tremendous healing.
We live in a world of “get it done” (a.k.a. “Git er done” where I come from), and immediate gratification. Everything seems to be at the tip of our fingertips… ready for the taking. So, waiting is not easy for us. Quiet reflection … being alone with our thoughts and with God is a “luxury” we tell ourselves we can’t afford. But God encourages us to slow down. Jesus models the need to “go up to the garden and pray”… to “Come Away from Rush and Hurry” (Community of Christ Sings, 83).
Even now, in the closing days of Winter, we await the coming of Spring. In a recent “Letter from the Editor” in Magnolia Journal, Joanna Gaines shares what she’s learned about waiting…
“Nature if never in a hurry, and deep down, I know to be patient – that just as it has every year before, spring will eventually arrive in promise and in plenty. But the wait from here to there gets trick. Trying to find comfort in the void is where I start to get a little uncomfortable. When it comes to the changing of seasons. An unfinished project. Plans left up in the air. Milestones that are just out of reach. Any space, really, between a beginning and its ending. Without any honest cues about what comes next, with nothing to tether my feet to the ground, waiting can feel a lot like drifting…
There’s a whole world of lessons that unfold in the waiting. In having that breathing room, that purposeful pause, there is space to be sharpened, to look up and take in all that we miss when we’re busy looking down.”[i]
Common to the Lenten season is the tradition of “giving something up” in order to make room for God. Giving up sweets in order to make room in your clothes is not the goal … of Lent anyway. If we’re to give something up this season, perhaps the places to start might be to give up our impatience… our discomfort with waiting … our avoidance of self-reflection … our inability to find rest in God’s presence.
I invite you into the Lenten journey… do not be afraid, and do not be too hard on yourself. Even small steps are better than none at all. Here’s a promise from the book of Isaiah (40: 28-31 NRSVUE) to encourage you as you journey…
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow
weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint and
strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be
weary, and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for
the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings
like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Blessings,
Blake
[i]
Joanna Gaines, “A Letter from the Editor,” Magnolia Journal, Spring 2023
(Des Moines, IA: Meredith Operations Corp., 2023), 10.
For the week of Feb 13th, 2023
Puppy Love
15 weeks. 35 pounds. A four-legged, oversized cotton ball. Full of energy. Eats everything he can, and settles for chewing on everything he can’t. This is a quick description of the newest member of our family. His name is Wyatt. Perhaps it’s appropriate that he joined our family in the days before Valentine’s Day, because another characteristic that he brings with him is an abundance of love.
It’s been a while since we have had a puppy in the house. Most of our dogs over the years have come from a shelter, and have been two to three years old at the time of adoption. Needless to say, Wyatt has been quite the wakeup call (no pun intended, though his previous owner led him to believe that a 4am start is normal. We’re working to change that!).
Some people prefer cats and some prefer dogs. I’m more of a dog person. I have found that dogs, at least the ones that I have had, can be more loving, forgiving, welcoming and inclusive than some people I know, much less most of the cats I’ve met (sorry cat lovers). There’s almost nothing better than the excited prancing, wide smiling, tail wagging joy that waits to greet you every day… good days, bad days… good mood or bad mood … happy or sad. They listen without judgment, willingly share their favorite (slobber covered) toys, and refuse to give up no matter how many times you tell them to go away. They pretty much have the unconditional love thing down. And, for me, puppy love is the best of all.
The great news is that, to receive that loving treatment from them, nothing is required on our part. Any love and affection given in return only magnifies the ways in which they share that love and joy. And, if that’s not enough, dogs will often wait patiently (I said often, not always) for us to give them the attention they want and deserve.
Sounding familiar? It should, because, with the exception of the slobber covered toys… and possibly the wagging tail … God extends that same extravagant love and joy to each of us … at no cost. Our positive response to God only magnifies the gifts of unconditional love, joy, mercy, forgiveness and welcome that are waiting at our “door” when we “come home.” Unlike dogs, God doesn’t taunt us by bringing a favorite toy and laying it in our laps in hopes of getting our attention. God simply waits patiently, perhaps nudging us on occasion through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Some might say that “puppy love” is an immature love… an intense emotional response to informal romantic connections. However, the puppy love that I’ve experienced in the last few days may be newly developed, but it is not immature. It is heart-warming, unconditional love that brings joy and happiness… a love that demonstrates acceptance and welcome … a love that uplifts and encourages. It is a love that “is patient…not envious or boastful or arrogant… not irritable … keeps no record of wrongs … [it] endures all things … [it] never ends.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8, adapted). It’s one of the closest things to God’s love I can imagine.
It is my prayer that you will find that kind of “puppy love” in your life, so that you will have a glimpse into God’s love for you.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 6th, 2023
Making Space for More
In the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we read:
17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money[d] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (NRSVU)
This is a troubling passage for many. Does Jesus really expect us to give up all we have and come follow him? The passage, on its own, seems very clear. But, when we look at this request in the context of all of Jesus teachings, it would seem that what is more important is the intent of our heart, and the focus of our attention and loyalties. What ought to be most important in the life of the disciple? Are we so caught up in collecting and storing our possessions that we don’t appear to have room for even one more thing … not even God?
One of the many things that my dad taught me, was that no matter how “full” the space looks, there is often room for more. Recently, my daughter rented a small storage space in which she could temporarily put some less frequently used items while she and her husband got their house ready to sell. The storage space quickly filled, or so it seemed. With many more items needed to be placed in storage, she asked if I might help determine if she needed more space.
Ultimately, the answer was no. Using the packing skills my dad had passed along to me, we were able to “re-organize” the stored items in such a way that there was suddenly a lot more space. The question was not, “did we have space for more?”, the questions were, “how much of the ‘stuff’ filling the space was necessary?”, and “with what would we fill the remaining space?”
Those are the questions that we must ask ourselves as disciples of Jesus and as children of God who long for a relationship with God. Perhaps it is not necessary to “go and sell all that [we] own.” Maybe what Jesus requires of us is that we not let the things that we have “own” us. Maybe we don’t need to reorganize our “stuff” as much as we need to reorganize our priorities… to make space for God in our lives.
As we approach the Lenten season, a time when we have come to believe we are required to “give something up,” it might be a little less troubling to look at it as “making space.” As a person who knows how to fill up space, and could afford to “give up” many things, no matter how full the space looks, there is always room for more … especially God.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan 30th, 2023
A Minute or Less
This past weekend, we experienced a significant amount of snow starting early on Saturday and continuing through the night. Though I had plowed the drive after the first 4 to 5 inches, I suspected that I would have to do it again before heading out to church on Sunday morning. So, I got up early, put on warm shoveling clothes and went to work. Though there was less snow the second time around, the snow was a little heavier due to some icy rain that had come in the middle.
Because it was extra early, I decided to be a good neighbor and not use my snow blower. Instead, I went at it the old-fashioned way… with a shovel. The only ones up and about, were me and a guy in a big plow that was clearing the cul-de-sac nearby. By the time I made my way down one side of the drive, I was pretty tired, and I wasn’t looking forward to completing the other side. I wasn’t even sure I had enough time left to complete the project before needing to clean up and get on the road. I rested a minute and then headed up the driveway to get started on the other side. I just couldn’t in good conscience leave it for my wife to do. (No, I’m not a chauvinist…just an old-fashioned southern gentleman!)
As I made my way back up the drive, I heard an approaching diesel engine. I turned to find the plow guy lining up with my driveway. He had come to help me, and he proceeded to clear the remainder of my driveway in one pass. He asked for nothing in return. I stood in amazement and deep gratitude, waving to him and mouthing “thank you” as he backed out of the driveway and drove away.
As I reflected on that early morning act of kindness, I thought about how this “stranger” had lifted a huge burden off my shoulders. For him, it had been a small thing … less than a minute of his time. For me, it was huge… saving me at least a half hour of work (and days of recovery…lol). With minimal effort and energy, he had taken the tools at his disposal and changed the trajectory of my day. I was able to approach teaching, worship and interactions with others with a calm spirit.
I wonder how often I have the tools (gifts and talents) at my disposal needed to lift someone else’s burden. How might my simple act of kindness become a huge relief to someone in need? Too often we think about service to others as requiring so much (maybe even too much) of our time and energy. We think that in order to be of value, they need to be huge gestures. But that is often not the case. Sometimes just a minute can make all the difference in the world.
I encourage you to be on the lookout for ways to use the tools at your disposal to lift someone else’s burden. I know I will!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan 23rd, 2023
Pray for Your Enemies
Our world continues to be inundated with chaos and division. Mass shootings, political disagreements, religious/doctrinal debates, and world conflicts are just a sampling of all the things that pit one person or group against another. Some of these divisions lead to deep anger and hurt… turning friends and family and “others” into enemies. Loving and praying for our enemies is difficult, but it is what Christ taught us to do. The following is an excerpt from an article in The Christian Century this week that speaks to both the difficulty and the Christian mandate of praying for our enemies:
Looking at the whole of Jesus’ teachings, we can boil enemy prayer down to three things. First, pray with compassion. Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the importance of extending forgiveness, releasing the sinner from guilt, and showing clemency for wrongdoing. This does not mean wrongdoing shouldn’t have consequences. But Jesus’ famous teaching about turning the other cheek is less about forsaking justice and more about showing forbearance with compassion. To pray for one’s enemies is to pray with love for them, seeing the humanity in them.
Second, pray for abundance. The example of God, according to Jesus, is the divine inclination toward grace and giving in abundance (Matt. 5:45; Luke 6:35–36). To pray for our enemies is to wish—even if it seems wrong—that God would shower them with good things. This is essential to the kingdom’s call to love. Hate treats the other as the object of our scorn; love sees the other as a creature, made by God with care.
Finally, pray for change for the good. It is appropriate that enemy prayer should include praying that the other might change. While Jesus preached love, he didn’t avoid calling out his opponents on their hypocrisy, elitism, greed, or vanity. But even when Jesus was at his most stern and seemingly hostile, his wider intent was to see change happen for the blessing and benefit of all. He practiced what he preached when he said, “Do good to those who hate you” (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27).
Praying for our enemies and persecutors is meant to be difficult work. It doesn’t always feel good or seem right. It requires an enlightened way of thinking about those we dislike (or even hate). To pray for them as Jesus would is to pray with love, with compassion, with holy goodness.
This is an ideal, one that sometimes seems unfathomable. Can we really expect a survivor of violence or abuse to pray that God would bless the person who harmed them? Sometimes the right thing to do is just wrestle openly and honestly before God: I cannot love, show me how to do good little by little. Paul talks about how the Spirit can help us when words fail us in prayer—with sighs and groans that express the depths of our spiritual agony (Rom. 8:26). What matters most is a soft heart before God and openness to being changed by the kingdom ways modeled by the Son of God and Son of man.
Jesus may not have commanded his disciples, “pray for your enemies,” in those specific words, but he intended for them to do just that. As with his dying breath he uttered, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34), so he held out hope for a more generous world. To pray “to hell with them” is human. To pray “give me love for them and show them mercy” is divine.[i]
No one said following Jesus was going to be easy!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Nijay K. Gupta, taken from the article “Did Jesus tell us to pray for our enemies? If so, what did he mean?,” https://www.christiancentury.org/ , January 20, 2023.
For the week of Jan 16th, 2023
When All is Lost
I consider myself an exceptionally blessed person. Sure, I have days that don’t go my way, and I have times, even whole days, when “blessing” is not a word that forms in my head… when I feel anything but blessed. In those times, if I’m being honest, I walk dangerously close to allowing the prominent voices of Christianity to make their way into my thinking. If for only a second, I wonder, “what did I do to deserve this?,” or “I must not be living right.” If I’m really down about something, I might be tempted to let that thought continue into… “for God to have let this happen. Maybe it’s to teach me a lesson!” And then, of course, I remember that contrary to what the prophet Nahum declared (Nahum 1:2-8), my God is not a vengeful God…certainly not a God who doles out “punishments” for not living “right.” Rather, my God is a loving God who remains with me in my time of loss… who suffers with those who suffer, and … who has plans for all of God’s creation… “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11).
So, today, when my computer hard drive stopped responding … when the thing that holds the record of so much of the last 30 years of my life and ministry responded only with an annoying and incessant beeping, but did not respond to my attempts to access its data … when it seemed that “all was lost”… it was a struggle to stay positive. This “catastrophe” only consisted of the loss of digital files… not family… not friends … not physical possessions … not food or clothing or finances … and yet, it was as if… in that moment … the world was collapsing around me. I didn’t know what to do or how to respond. What does one do when “all is lost?”
My answer is that I still don’t know. Why? Because all is not lost. It’s kind of like the day in one of my seminary classes where I made an off handed comment in response to a question asked by the professor. I don’t remember the question, but I remember my response … and his. I said “What can we do, we’re just poor college students?” To which he responded, after turning around and giving me a kind of death stare, “Son, you may be broke, but you’ve never been poor!”
I don’t know what one does in such a situation, because I have never been close to losing everything… even this morning … even if it turns out that the data I have been collecting and storing over the last 30 years cannot be recovered from the hard drive (though I am going to make every attempt to do so). I remain blessed. I have been gifted and blessed by a God who will continue to walk with me, perhaps even carry me from time to time, as I navigate the difficulties and losses of life.
Perhaps in your past you have experienced “catastrophic” loss, or maybe it just felt like it at the time. Regardless of the extent of your loss, rest assured that it is not God’s punishment for something you have done or haven’t done … it’s not a test God has placed in your path so that you can learn to appreciate God more. If you need to know where God is when all seems lost, it won’t be in front of you setting traps for you to fall into, or behind you waiting for you to fail so that you can be punished. If anything, God will be with you, offering comfort and peace of mind, encouraging you to push through, helping you to find hope, and rewarding your faith.
All is not lost… not as long as you have God on your side.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 9th, 2023
When We Listen
My spiritual director used to tell me that I needed to slow down. He knew that it was my habit to get excited about something and just get started … failing to pause and listen to God. He was right. And, in the moments when I have taken the time to pause and listen … to wait and watch … I have rarely been disappointed at the insights that have come from God through the lives, words, actions, and stories of others. I’ll be honest and say that I am not confident enough to say that God has ever spoken directly to me … but I have testimony upon testimony of how God has worked in my life, and that “the still small voice” has been present many times and in many ways.
In my early days of ministry, that lack of confidence sometimes prevented me from following through on what I now believe to have been a “nudge” from God … left me sitting in silence when I should have spoken … left me going about my business when I should have been checking in on someone … or sending a note of encouragement … or picking up the phone … or just being present.
I have written before about the importance of listening, but even as I right these words, I realize that sometimes our “listening” only goes as deep as “hearing.” The difference between listening and hearing, at least for me, is that listening requires intentionality. We hear things every day…birds calling, planes flying overhead, the furnace or the air conditioner cycling on and/or off. You get the idea. Those things may even register somewhere in our consciousness, but chances are if asked what we heard during the day, we would only be able to list those people or sounds to which we had intentionally listened.
There is another significant difference between hearing and listening, I think. The things we hear do not necessarily affect our lives…at least not directly in the moment. But when we listen…our lives, our behaviors, our understandings, our attitudes, our ways of being in community become susceptible to everything from slight adjustments to life-altering shifts. Either way there is movement…relationships are mended, the lonely and outcast find companionship, anger subsides and healing can begin, true advocacy becomes a reality, oppressors can no longer hide in the shadows of systems and institutions, opportunities are unearthed, and the Kingdom of God comes one step closer.
Sure…even when we go beyond hearing to listening there is still a chance that we shrug it off. Action is not guaranteed. Have you ever told someone after listening to them share that you’d pray for them…and then didn’t? Have you ever had someone’s name come to mind and thought… “I ought to give them a call” … and then didn’t. It happens! At least it has happened to me. And let me just say…I have never regretted saying the prayer or making the call, but I have regretted NOT doing it…not responding with action. I can’t go back and change my responses to things past, but I can attempt, each day, to not just hear…to listen.
Do you “hear” the world go by, or do you take the time to listen? Do you hear the words others speak, or do you listen to what their words and actions actually “say?” Be careful not to pass off that which you hear as just “noise.” True…some of it may be noise, but even in noise we may find that “still small voice” that can lead us to change the world. Because…in listening we engage, and when we engage, things happen.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 2nd, 2023
One More Tool
Now that Christmas is over, I’ve already had some family members asking me to update my wish list so they can be thinking about birthday gifts. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten to the point in my life that it’s hard to make a “wish list” with items that fall within a price range that is reasonable to ask anyone to consider. It’s not that I have “champagne taste” or expectations for that matter, but the price tags on the “toys” that I drool over these days are a bit bigger than those in days gone by (and not just because of inflation… the toys are bigger too).
A couple of years ago, I would have said that I had all the toys (aka tools) that I needed. There was nothing else I could use. As a matter of fact, I thought I had a few tools I could finally release because I didn’t have a place to use them. Then, I ended up moving to a house with room for a shop, and soon after that was introduced to some new woodworking hobbies that I absolutely love. Since falling in love with these new hobbies, I have found many new projects in need of exploring. The problem is, with each new project, there’s always just “one more tool” that would be really nice to have, would make the job so much easier, or would make the final product so much more polished. And, since I’m typically working on a project to give as a gift to someone else, it’s only right that I do it to the best of my ability … which I can only achieve with the right tools … right?! It is no wonder that my family no longer believes me when I say, “if I just had that ‘one more tool,’ I would be set for good.” There is a pretty good chance that I’ll always find a need (and a rationale) for yet another.
If only my “spiritual” shop was as well supplied as my wood shop. Though I benefit deeply from that which comes out of my spiritual work, as a disciple of Jesus, that which I seek to build or create (sacred community, connection to God, relationships with Christ, safe spaces in which people can find welcome, acceptance, unconditional love, and a deep sense of their worth as Children of God, etc.) is typically a gift to be shared with others… especially those who have never experienced those things before. And, in those cases, I want their experience to be the best it can possibly be… I want their experience to match their needs and their expectations … I want them to find congruence in the message they hear and their lived reality.
In order to accomplish that, I find that there is always “one more tool” I need for the “shop.” The tools needed for this work don’t often carry a high price in dollars, but they do sometimes come with a high cost (personal sacrifice of privilege, willingness to grow in knowledge and understanding, time to hear the story of the other, and courage to hear those stories with an open heart and mind). Every time I have allowed myself to engage another group of marginalized persons … or every time I have attempted to learn about a new pressing issue from a perspective other than my own, I have been able to identify that one more tool (in some cases, many more than one) that I need in order for end product to truly be a gift… much less one that reflects the best I have to offer.
What was the last tool you added to your “spiritual shop.” If you were to make a wish list for your “spiritual shop,” what is the “one more tool” that you just couldn’t do without? What are your plans for acquiring that tool? Some tools are costly while others are quite affordable, but all tools added to your spiritual shop are priceless!
Here’s hoping you’ll get so excited about the what you’re building (spiritually) in your “shop” that you’ll always need “one more tool.”
Blessings
Blake
For the week of Dec. 26th, 2022
Location Matters
I remember as a child and young teen that we used to have what we called “location jokes,” meaning that you had to be there to understand or for the “joke” to be funny. That all came rushing back the other night after an adult only party… which simply means that it was quiet and free of chaos after the previous two days of full family gatherings. My wife and I had gathered with her siblings and their spouses. It is not often that we are all in the same place at the same time, so there were lots of stories to tell. For several hours that night, we talked and laughed and played games. At times, we laughed so hard that our rib cages hurt or we couldn’t breathe. There were tears of laughter and pure joy shared that night.
Upon arriving home, my daughter asked me how the sibling “party” was, and I said that it had been great fun with giddy laughter and moments of all out hilarity. When she asked what had been so funny, I attempted to relate a couple of the stories that “brought the house down.” Not only did she not get the humor of the stories, it turns out that at the second telling, I found myself also wondering why it had seemed so funny (and fun) in the moment. Yes, there were a few things that were truly funny, but we had laughed for hours.
Somewhat unimpressed, and having given me the “OK dad, whatever you say” look, she went to bed. I, on the other hand, was left sitting and wondering … albeit with sore stomach muscles from all of the laughter earlier in the night. It was definitely a “you had to be there” evening.
The more I thought about it, I realized that part of the “hilarity” was due to the fact that we were old and tired from days of family gatherings, and it was late… so we were perfectly positioned for finding humor in even the simplest of things. But, more than that, I think it was the fact that we were enjoying being in each other’s company. We were in a sacred and safe space with people we loved… our guards were down … and we were able to simply be in each other’s presence without fear of judgement. We didn’t have to care what other people thought or whether what happened would be shared widely or used against us on social media in an effort to make us look foolish or “less than.”
Our experience had been a perfect example of the unique value of community. The fact that it was in a way sacred community only added to its value. Though our world would often lead us to believe that looking out for number one … achieving personal (aka individual) success … making it on our own … are all preferable ways of being in the world, we were created for community. No doubt, there are those of us who (maybe all of us if we’re being honest) have a deep need for some alone time here and there, but ultimately, there are things we simply can’t experience on our own.
Maybe funny doesn’t just happen in groups. There is no denying that a past memory can bring a deep belly laugh … even when no one else is around, but I believe that true joy is only experienced when it shared with someone else… or several “someones” with whom we share in community.
Where is that community for you? In whose presence do you find true joy? With whom or in what ways is God calling you into community so that you can experience that joy? Where is the Spirit telling you … “you should be there?” Don’t wait until you’re being told “you should have been there!” It won’t be quite the same to hear about it second hand. Location matters!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 19th, 2022
The World Awaits…
Satellite picture of the world:
“Cities at Night”
The phrase, “the world awaits,” is heard more often this time of year as Christians make their way through Advent and towards Christmas. For many of them, Advent has become a time of expectation and waiting … usually with great anticipation. But, today, as I ran some errands around town, it became abundantly clear that what the “world awaits” (NOTE: “world” is translated here as a mass of individuals connected in and across a variety of communities … familial, geographic, vocational, religious, academic, ethnic, etc.) … is that which is most pressing to the individuals or any one of their communities in the moment.
Take for example the fact that a potentially dangerous snow storm is headed across the country and is bearing down on the Midwest even as I write this. Whereas much of the frantic shopping taking place in the area over the last week was probably due to persons who waited until the last minute to do their holiday shopping, the majority of shoppers today were looking for gasoline, food supplies, snow blowers and the like… none of which were intended to be given as gifts. What this part of the world awaits, at least in this moment, is a potentially severe storm. That said, between now and the time that we celebrate Christmas, the object or event for which we await may change several more times.
The question I find myself having to answer is, “How do I balance waiting for the birth of the Christ child (who, by the way, came along time ago and is sure to show up in the manger again this year), and the fact that there are so many in our world who are, and have been, awaiting something far less immanent… clean drinking water, adequate housing, nutritious food on the table, justice, acceptance, the genuine love of another human being, necessary healthcare, companionship, …? The desperation with which much of the world awaits makes preparation for bad, even severe, winter weather seem insignificant. And yet, it is not insignificant for those who are in the storm’s path.
I’m not suggesting that we put aside our expectant waiting for the Christ child’s birth in order to make room for more immediate waiting. That birth, for many in the world brings hope and life. I am suggesting, however, that we remember that “the world” is not the same for everyone… even though Jesus’ birth signals the desire for that very thing. So, as you prepare your heart for Christmas… as you await the birth of Christ … consider preparing your heart to allow something new to be birthed in you. If you’re willing, let that “something new” be a new and deeper understanding of all of the things “the world awaits,” and what you might do to make any of those things even a little more immanent.
The world awaits a day when God’s vision or a Peaceable Kingdom is a reality in all of its dimensions…for all of the world.
Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 12th, 2022
A Time to Hope…Not to Shudder
It doesn’t happen often, but, sometimes… I am reminded of a previous blog post by something that’s happening in my life currently. Today was one of those days. I was walking up to one of the churches I serve and getting very frustrated by the large amount of garbage that had blown into the church yard … (I say “blown into” because I’m sure no one would intentionally drop trash for someone else to pick up!). Anyway … this piece first appeared here during Advent in December of 2017, and I thought it might be a good time for a reminder!
For years, I have been concerned about the disposable mindset we are encouraged to take on by our consumer driven society. We brush it off, saying things like, “they just don’t make things like they used to,” and we don’t even have to ask why. We have been conditioned to think that it’s OK that companies want to be able to sell us another one in a couple of years (if not every year). We look for faster, more efficient, and more convenient without thought of long term consequence. Here’s the thing…being a follower of Jesus…the one whose birth we hopefully await…comes with a responsibility to consider the big picture of God’s whole creation.
As I was reading different blogs regarding Advent, I ran across the following piece on ministrymatters.com in an article titled “The Most Wasteful Time of the Year.” That’s right…wasteful, not wonderful.” Hmmm…
“Christmas is fast approaching, and so are the mountains of trash Americans produce along with it. Based on EPA figures, it is estimated that Americans generate an extra 25 percent of garbage each year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s in the form of food waste, plastic waste, wrapping paper, ribbon, party supplies and decorations. In an April 22, 2016 Los Angeles Times article, it was reported that Americans produced 254 million tons of waste in 2013 and was the largest trash generator in the world.
We don’t see it
Our constant consumption and throw-away culture has consequences we rarely see because we have no idea where our trash actually goes or what happens to it. But the number of landfills across the country has grown exponentially, and the transport of garbage oversees is a growing industry. The result? The land, water and air are increasingly more polluted as we spend more energy and resources to transport and process trash and recycling. Toxic pollutants are leeched into the soils, waters and air from overflowing, closed or mismanaged landfills. Recycling centers cannot recycle as many items as we think they can. Yet, we continue to use nonrecyclables and plastics — everything from straws to packaging and from water bottles to microfibers in clothes.
A change in attitude
Our earth was carefully crafted and has evolved to provide all we need to sustain animal and human life. But far too many humans have taken those resources for granted and abused them, thinking of them as possessions rather than privileges to be shared and cared for by us. Advent was never meant to be a time of rampant consumerism, gluttony and wastefulness. Advent was meant to be a time to simplify, to focus on preparing our homes and hearts for the Savior, to live out our faith by sharing our time and resources with those in need — and to focus our minds and hearts on the God who provides all, including the gift of salvation through the birth of Jesus.
As we go through this holiday season, let us remember the words given to us in Doctrine and Covenants 163:4b…
The earth, lovingly created as an environment for life to flourish, shudders in distress because creation’s natural and living systems are becoming exhausted from carrying the burden of human greed and conflict. Humankind must awaken from its illusion of independence and unrestrained consumption without lasting consequences.
Before throwing it out or replacing it, think about how you might recycle, repurpose, or reuse it! Let’s create a world of Hope together.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 5th, 2022
Approach with Caution
I remember asking my niece once if she knew what it meant when a traffic light turned yellow, and she, without hesitation, said, “It means to ‘step on it’.” Apparently, she had deduced that from traveling in the car with her grandmother. I wonder how many kids come to that same conclusion early in life. It seems that people are more likely to see a “Merge” sign or a yellow traffic light and think, “hurry up,” rather than “approach with care… something is about to change.”
It’s as if we think maybe if we hurry up or hurry through life we’ll miss the “obstacle” ahead and will carry on uninterrupted. Or, if we just ignore the road signs we don’t like, our path will be straight and steady going. The thing is that if we avoid one “traffic light,” we’re bound to get stopped by another down the road. And, when we see a sign telling us to merge, there’s a good chance that the lane we’re in is going to come to an end.
Understandably, we don’t always get a lot of forewarning when a light is going to turn yellow. Merging lanes are altogether different though. There are often big orange signs or oversized flashing yellow arrows long before the merge is to take place. Let me say that I am aware that in many states, the law requires that you stay in your lane as long as you can and merge only when it is absolutely necessary. That said, what would it hurt to plan ahead just a little … merging when there are natural breaks in traffic rather than waiting until the last possible second … and last few feet of road … often causing the people in the “receiving lane” to come to a complete stop in order to make room? (Believe it or not, I really have dealt with most of my driving pet peeves! No… really… I have!!)
Today as I spent six hours on the road … encountering many such merging lanes (not so much traffic lights since I was on the interstate) … I found myself reflecting on how often we approach life by going at it full speed ahead… merging only when absolutely necessary. Yes, I too am guilty of that. We see the signs of change coming, but perhaps we hope that the sign is a mistake… that the “lane” we’re in won’t actually end … that we can continue on as usual without having to make a shift. News flash… lanes end and shifts happen. It’s part of life, and it’s part of life in community.
God doesn’t change, but our knowledge and understanding of God and God’s desire for creation does as it deepens and grows. As we learn new things about God, ourselves, and each other… as we learn new ways of being together in community, our path forward shifts from time to time. New lanes made with increased knowledge and sturdier materials are opened, and old lanes that have begun to crack and develop “potholes” come to an end. Sure, it would be nice if we could just keep adding lanes and let people go their own ways … stay in a lane that is comfortable for them … a lane that doesn’t shift. But, that’s not the way it works in the world in which we live … the world which God created, and in which we are called to be co-creators with God.
Caution and compromise are essential to living into the God’s will for us. Those who tend to go as far as they possibly can before making any necessary shifts, will need to learn to approach lane endings with some caution so that catastrophic crashes don’t take place. And, those who begin to merge as soon as they see the signs will need to be prepared, no matter how frustrating it may be, to back off a little and make space for those who either didn’t see or weren’t ready to acknowledge the signs along the way.
If we approach life with care … especially for one another … any change that will inevitably come won’t be so shocking. Either way… God has promised to be there with us.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 28th, 2022
Presence
I was visiting a friend in a hospital ICU a little over a week ago, and had stepped out of the room while the nurse tended to my friend’s needs. The image of a “Get Well Soon” arrangement sitting on the counter of the nurse’s station struck me, so I took a picture of it. There was a message to me in that image, but I didn’t know what it was until this morning when I received news of another friend’s passing as a result of suicide.
The image of a somewhat deflated “Get Well Soon” balloon hovering over a dead flower arrangement seemed in the moment a sign that there is no hope in life… so why bother. Why had this arrangement been saved instead of thrown out? It was, I thought, a depressing reminder of the inevitability of death that faced many of those in the surrounding rooms of the ICU.
This morning, however, the image became for me a stark reminder … a wakeup call if you will … to the importance of being present for one another, for therein lies a true source of hope and joy in life. How often do we, when we hear of someone else’s bad health, send a card representing our best wishes for a quick recovery? How often do we, when we hear of a friend’s misfortune or loss or deep need, say “I’ll pray for you!”? Don’t get me wrong, those things are important and often bring a bit of light to a dark situation. But, they are not enough in and of themselves. Sometimes presence means more than any card or cliché statement. Sometimes… actually more often than not … we need to show up… to take action … even if that action is simply picking up the phone to make a call when distance prohibits physical presence.
We would do well to remember these words found in the 25th Chapter of Matthew, verses 34-36…
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
So many in our world are in need of knowing that they are loved… that someone cares … that they are not alone … and that others need the same thing. Somewhere along the line of time, we have become so busy that we forget the importance of friendships and companionship (beyond our immediate family). As a result, our world is becoming more divided, more self-centered, more inward focused. We want to know what’s in it for us. We convince ourselves that there is no more time to give, when in reality, to give is to be … alive … disciples … children of God … human.
Gifts of flowers, balloons and cards will bring momentary, and often much needed, light in the darkness, but flowers die, balloons deflate, and cards eventually get thrown out. Presence, on the other hand, leaves deep impressions in the heart and soul. It communicates deep commitment, true companionship, heartfelt compassion, and genuine love.
Who in your life could benefit from your presence? If you don’t have time to go … pick up the phone. Who knows … maybe you need it as much as they do!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 21st, 2022
It Makes a Difference
I had just spent seven hours sitting in a crazy busy ER waiting room while a friend was evaluated for admission and treatment. Most people in the waiting room were grumpy because of the long waits they were having to endure. The medical staff was trying their best, but the fatigue and frustration was evident in the ways some of them addressed the individuals who approached the intake window. I finally made it to my car for the return drive home. It was after midnight and the only thing I had had to eat since lunch was a bag of potato chips from the vending machine. Needless to say, I was getting very hungry and perhaps a little grumpy myself.
friend was evaluated for admission and treatment. Most people in the waiting room were grumpy because of the long waits they were having to endure. The medical staff was trying their best, but the fatigue and frustration was evident in the ways some of them addressed the individuals who approached the intake window. I finally made it to my car for the return drive home. It was after midnight and the only thing I had had to eat since lunch was a bag of potato chips from the vending machine. Needless to say, I was getting very hungry and perhaps a little grumpy myself.
I dared not hope that there would be anything open at that time of night other than a gas station where I might find more potato chips. It was an hour plus ride home, so I didn’t want to wait to eat any longer than absolutely necessary. I braced myself for the chips … and what I imagined would be another less than cheerful person behind a counter wishing they could be somewhere else.
To my surprise, within a short distance I came upon a fast-food restaurant (with gluten free options) that was open. Though I was still expecting a grumpy welcome, at least the food would be more filling than a bag of chips. So, I pulled in … putting on a smile and approaching the drive through with a pleasant demeanor (kill them with kindness, right?). I was surprised once again to find myself being welcomed by an incredibly cheerful drive thru worker. Nothing grumpy about her. To the contrary, she was so filled with cheer that she immediately lifted my spirits. She took away any need to “put on a happy face.” Her energy and welcome were contagious. The smile came spontaneously. I couldn’t wait to pull around to the window and see her face-to-face so that I could tell her how she had made my day better.
Until that interaction, it was almost as if I had given in to the inevitability of “grumpy” being the expected response. I wish I could say it was because that day had been filled with grumpy people, but I realized it’s more than that. I don’t know that it can all be blamed on the effects of the pandemic or the fact that we live in a more-and-more “me first” culture that so many have taken on a grumpy demeanor as their first response. What I do know is that we have been commanded to love one another…
In John 15:10-12, Jesus says, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. And he continued, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
And, love makes a difference!
Sure, there is always the chance that in our humanity that we are likely to get a little grumpy… even with those we love. However, I have always told my daughters that “you can’t control what someone does or says to you or how they treat you, you can only control how you respond.” If our normal response is joy, kindness, welcome and encouragement rather than “grumpy,” perhaps we can lift the spirits of others like the fast-food worker did for me. And, if there is more joy spread around, perhaps it will become the first response of more people and grumpiness will fade away.
It can’t hurt to try!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 14th, 2022
Meaningful Presence
As holiday gatherings with family and friends quickly approach, some people are getting excited while others are feeling the anxiety build. Some thrive on the crowds and the chaos while others cower at the thought of uncomfortable situations and conversations that inadvertently happen every time a crowd of people come together… especially when they only do so for special occasions.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to take a few moments to consider how you will approach the gatherings you will attend this holiday season. How will you make the best of the time you have with others? What type of impact, if any, do you hope to have?
In a recent article for Magnolia Journal, Chip Gaines reflects on how he and his wife approach presence among others in different ways. Here’s an excerpt from that article…
They say every great magic trick has three parts. The first part is the pledge. That’s when the magician stands on the stage and lets everyone know what [they’re] about to do… then there’s the turn when the [object] disappears even though we are all looking right at it. And finally comes the prestige … [when the object] reappears in a way that we never expected … And we’re left in awe asking the age-old question: “How in the heck did [they] do that?”
I’ll be honest, I’ve lived for that question. Not from the point of view of the audience but of the magician. It’s always felt second nature to me, wherever I go, to bring a little showmanship and leave people with more than they had before I showed up. Just like taking risks and going a hundred miles an hour into who knows what is part of who I am, so is trying to hold the attention of whatever room I’m in.
These past few years, as Jo and I have had opportunities to get up on larger stages than we ever thought we would, I’ve noticed how we go about it differently. For me, the bigger the crowd, the bigger my performance. Then I watch Jo—subtle but sure—sitting thoughtfully, and then when the moment is right, she delivers an idea or a phrase that turns everything on its head and invites people into a better story. I look over at her and think, How the heck did she do that? … I may attract quick attention, but she draws you in slowly and holds you in the world she creates around her.
It opened my eyes to all the different ways there are to have a presence and to make it meaningful. When we show up for someone. When we listen. When we do what we say we will. When we say the unpopular thing. Some moments, I believe, call for boldness and extravagance. There’s a time to sweep people off their feet. And there’s also a time to bring the ground back beneath them. Where trust is exchanged. Understanding too. Where human connection means more than whatever I planned on performing.
I want my presence to mean something. To make a real impact. In the past, I’ve thought it meant giving the people the prestige delivering on whatever pledge I’ve made, spoken or unspoken. I thought I meant being loud and making the so-called dove reappear with smoke and flashing lights… But now I know it’s also in the quieter moments. Sometimes it’s in the things we don’t say at all. There may not be applause or laughter or a standing ovation on the other side, but I’m learning that it’s in the moments when I place the people in front of me above performing that my impact resounds.[i]
Whether they would admit it or not, most people will be looking for some type of meaningful experience in the holiday gatherings. Our world is so full of negativity and division. We need find meaningful ways to be present with and for one another.
I plan to approach this year’s gatherings from the quiet, thoughtful presence perspective as much as possible, though I know I’m sure to “play the fool” at some point. How about you? How will you make your presence meaningful?
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Chip Gaines, “Chip Gets the Last Word,” in Magnolia Journal, Winter 2022, Issue no. 25 (Des Moines, IA: Meredith Operations Corp, 2022), 108.
For the week of Nov. 7th, 2022
This or That
Before the Covid pandemic… and again as things begin to return to relative chaos (some call the new normal) … I often heard myself saying, “As soon as I get through this (whatever “this” was), things will slow down.” “I’ll get a chance to breathe … to focus on a hobby … to spend more time with family… to read a book (something that’s not required for my job) … catch up on an old favorite show … watch a movie… anything.” The problem is that, at best, “this” just gets replaced by another “this.”
Being a person who likes to stay busy, I thrive on finding another “this.” The problem is that always being focused on a “this” puts me in danger of missing a “that” … something that God has placed before me to help me recognize Divine presence and blessing in my life … the image of God in another … the sacredness of a passing moment … the beauty in the small things. I have to wonder how many “thats” have I missed?”
As our family prepares for the holiday season, I’m especially aware of how busyness can deprive us of those special moments. If we’re not careful, each holiday can quickly become just another item on the to do list … an event that we’ll get to when we’re done with other pressing matters. Getting out the Fall decorations and putting up the Christmas tree become something to be checked off the list … rather than a time for reflection and remembrance … of celebration and connection … of memory making and mindfulness.
Sometimes we need a reminder. Sometimes we need a nudge…
I got mine from Joanna Gaines in the recent copy of Magnolia Journal. Joanna writes…
”My favorite moments of Thanksgiving happen right before the meal, when sounds of family arriving ring throughout the house and scents of pumpkin and clove fill the kitchen. And when, out of the corner of my eye, I see the first dishes hit the table as the kids and their cousins place linens and forks and our special-occasion glasses. Any one of these moments separately could happen any other day. But together, they tell me it’s Thanksgiving. And for me, it’s official: The holiday season is here… The idea of active stillness is something I’ve pursued these past few years as I found that it’s more than big moments that make a splash. I was longing for a way to actually feel the moments – the quieter miracles that seek no attention – as they unravel in front of me.
I was looking for a heart connection to my days. Yet, for a while, I viewed presence as a luxury. Something my full plate and busy schedule simply didn’t allow space for. Maybe that view resonates with you. Maybe the idea of relishing any time between workdays and play dates and weekends away feels impractical, perhaps even irresponsible. But I’m learning that presence doesn’t have to steal from responsibility, not when you know what to look for.
Being present is not about sitting still, but slowing down. Not a switch to be flipped but a daily return to what matters most. Maybe it starts with getting to know who you are and the things you value stripped of the world’s expectations. Determining what truly fills you up and fuels you forward. Some days, there is more ease in the practice than others. But there is hope in what it might yield over time: more chances to capture the delight and wonder of the life you’re tending.”[i]
My prayer for you as this holiday season draws close is that you will find ways to be present … to pause from whatever “this” has you occupied and take moments each day to find God in the “that” moments.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, “A Letter from the Editor: Presence,” in Magnolia Journal,Winter 2022, Issue no. 25 (Des Moines, IA: Meredith Operations Corp, 2022), 10.
For the week of Oct. 31st, 2022
How Big is Your Bag?
The evening was nice. We set up camp chairs and a gas fireplace at the end of our driveway and prepared for the parade of children (and adults) dressed in all sorts of costumes from beautiful princesses to aliens to goblins. The rule at our house on Halloween is that all who wear a costume are offered a treat. Even the poor dogs in costumes got a treat… two if they looked particularly miserable. For four hours, we sat watching, attempting to identify costumes, visiting with neighbors, and laughing as children, some very reluctantly, came up with arms outstretched to get their reward.
At one point, a young boy travelling with his mother had stopped to get his candy. For some reason, he felt compelled to share that his sister was supposed to be with him, but had stopped at their house to take a break. He was either very disappointed or he was hoping we would give him her portion. It wasn’t must later that a little girl and her father came by. I noticed that she had a plastic grocery bag for her candy and that it was nearly empty. I asked her if she was just getting started, and she said “no, my first bag filled up so I had to stop and get another.” It turns out that she was the missing sister. In this case, she hadn’t been delayed long and was able to catch up with the brother who had been better prepared from the beginning.
Several encounters caught my attention… like a little girl who couldn’t have been more than two years old… riding in a stroller … who insisted that I put her candy in her hand… not in her bag. She was apparently counting her blessings before putting them in the bag herself. But that’s for another blog…
After the girl with the “second” bag had come by, I found myself taking notice of the types and sizes of candy receptacles that the children carried. Some had small pumpkins, some had buckets, some had backpacks, and some (the smart ones) had pillow cases or the like. Had I not once been a kid myself roaming the neighborhood on Halloween gathering candy, I might have thought they were greedy, but I knew they were just prepared. They had come expecting a large bounty and they would likely not be disappointed.
I wonder sometimes if we don’t approach our relationship with God carrying only a small “bucket” … something not much larger than a drinking cup… hoping to get even a small treat, but not wanting to seem greedy. How often do we start our day full of expectation… getting out and carrying with us the “king size pillowcase” in which to receive God’s blessings? The reality is that often God’s blessings are only limited to our ability to acknowledge them or to receive them. The question is, what might we miss if we have to “stop by home” at some point during the day to pick up a larger container and start again?
As I mentioned, in our house, the only rule for getting candy is that you must be dressed in a costume. The great thing about God is that God would prefer you simply be yourself… no masks… no fancy costumes … no hiding behind false identities … just you … and a big … heart open to God so that it might be filled to capacity with God’s blessings and love… NO TRICKS … JUST TREATS! Try starting your day fully expecting a large bounty … set out with the largest blessing bag you can find … then, see just how full your “bag” is when the day is done.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct. 24th, 2022
We now live in a world where, for most, access to the internet is essential for living… or at least feels essential. Whether for entertainment, business, family connections, current news, or a long list of other things, we have come to depend on access to the internet … often at a moment’s notice. It’s hard for most of us to remember a day when the internet was not around. Young people in many parts of the world have never lived without it.
Because of its perceived importance, advancements in technology have made it possible to get it faster and in more places. No longer do we have to be tethered to an actual cable. We don’t have to wait until we “get to the office” to connect to the internet and get the information we want or need. For that we have cellphones and Wifi. Between the two, internet accessibility is available in more places that we can imagine.
But, as I am reminded from time to time, there are still a few obstacles. Perhaps you’ve been in a large store or shopping center … talking on the phone, or trying to “google” something … only to get cut off because the deeper you went into the store, the more limited your signal became. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to make my way back to the front of the store so I could better reception.
Recently, I had to go to one of the churches I serve to meet with a technician. He had been tasked with installing a wireless internet connection so the church would be able to access online ministry programming. How hard could it be… right? Run a few cables, drill a few holes, set up a modem… and you’re done! NOT! Some walls are constructed with concrete block or made thicker for fire retardant or sound retardant purposes. The more walls that exist, the harder it is to maintain a sufficient wifi signal in multiple rooms. As it turns out, we were going to have to be very careful in choosing a spot for the modem in order to ensure consistent internet reception in the places needing it the most.
Maintaining accessibility is trickier that it might seem … at least with the internet.
Unfortunately, the same can be true in our relationship with God. Maintaining accessibility can be tricky… but not because God is tricky, or because God’s “signal” isn’t strong enough, close enough, reliable enough. Its not God who wanders deep into places where reception is limited. Its not God who builds walls … some thicker than others … but all meant to create boundaries … to divide … to delineate … to separate … to protect. No, God is always accessible. God has the most reliable network ever created. We just may have to be careful to make sure our “modems” are put in the right places in our lives… that our walls don’t get too thick … that we don’t get so deep in ourselves and our activities that we become in-accessible.
What walls have you built that limit God’s accessibility to you? When have you ventured so far away from “front of the store” creating a barrier between you and the source of that which is truly essential to life?
God is always accessible? Are you?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct. 17th, 2022
Shouldn’t Be This Difficult
A couple of years ago, I decided to buckle down and begin taking Spanish lessons. I had been thinking about it for years and had just never started, but the fact that it would be helpful in my ministry and, as it turns out, my family life… pushed me to get serious. Kind of!
I was taking weekly lessons online using a system that guaranteed fluency after completing four levels of 14 classes each. Somewhere, apparently in the fine print, it must have explained that simply attending the online classes and going over the material an hour or less each week nullified the guarantee. It seems that you, or at least I, need to practice every day in order to be able to retain the skill and vocabulary. I justified my lack of preparation because of my otherwise insanely busy schedule. I told myself that it shouldn’t be this difficult. The truth was I wasn’t hurting anyone but myself.
Though I found that I could “limp” my way through the class … doing a fair job with pronunciation and spontaneous memorization, I’m sure it was evident to the teacher that I had not put in the time necessary to actually learn the language. Within weeks of having completed the first two rounds of the course, I had forgotten most of what I had “learned.”
Fast forward to this past year when I learned about an app that also made claims of helping you become fluent in any language of your choice. This time I was determined to put in the effort. I decided to try the app and see if I could stay motivated. As it turns out, the app uses a variety of techniques to help students learn a language. Depending on the day, the amount of time I had to invest, and the mood I was in when “class” time came around… I could choose the way I wanted to learn every day. I am proud to say that after having completed 330 consecutive days of using the app… for a minimum of 30 minutes, but usually an hour… I am actually able to have a minimal conversation with a Spanish speaker (as long as they speak very slow), and I can read and understand a good bit of Spanish. I can also honestly say that it hasn’t been that difficult, though it has taken determination, persistence and consistency.
Recently, I was working with a group of church people on a process where they were attempting to seek and understand God’s will for their lives … individually and corporately … as they move into the future. I can’t tell you how many times I heard, “church shouldn’t be this difficult.” There was a sense that attending “class” (a.k.a. church) every week, and having studied for an hour or less each week in preparation ought to be enough. The fact is that too many Christians (a.k.a Disciples of Jesus Christ) have found that they can do just that. After all, their schedules are insanely busy. So, like me and my Spanish, limp their way through church, doing a fair job with “pronunciation and spontaneous memorization” (a.k.a. saying all the right things). Then, they (we) wonder why following God seems so difficult… and why their level of “fluency” doesn’t increase.
After seven weeks of daily devotion (several different types of spiritual practices were offered so that interested parties could find the one(s) that worked best for them), the talk began to shift. People were beginning to enjoy certain of the spiritual practices as well as the discipline of daily, intentional, time with God. Hearts began to soften. Testimonies began to arise. Those who had given themselves fully to the process no longer found it to be “that difficult,” and they became more comfortable in their journey and calling. Suffice it to say that this group has more work to do… as do we all … but the point is that it doesn’t have to be that difficult to walk with God. God is waiting patiently for us to “buckle down” and begin taking time to listen… and practice … and learn. And, there’s not just one way to do it.
I encourage you to find a way that will help you get going on a daily walk with God. Imagine where you might be in your relationship with God 330 days from now! Who knows… there may even be an app for that.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct. 10th, 2022
Hot or Cold?
Some things, I think, are worth repeating… This first appeared in “From the Desk of in October of 2018. Enjoy…
During this time of year, when we go back and forth from late summer to early Fall weather…when temperatures rise and/or fall with little or no notice…when you’re not quite sure whether to put away the summer clothes and pull out the sweaters or just hold out a little longer… it’s not unheard of to ask the question… “Hot or Cold?” This goes not only for the weather outside, but also the clothing needed to endure it and (especially for those with a coffee addiction) the temperature of the beverages to be consumed.
None of this was a problem when I was growing up in Florida. The weather as always hot, the beverages were better with ice, and with the exception of a few bitterly cold days (a.k.a. upper 30s to low/mid 40s) in the “winter” only one wardrobe was needed. Of course, now I’ve been in the Midwest for almost 30 years. Soon I will have lived “up North” longer than I lived “down South,” (Frightening!) The thing is, no matter how long I’ve been here, I still don’t like the back and forth of the weather. For me, the ideal would be to find a place where it’s perpetual Spring or early Fall…not too hot, not too cold.
How about you? Do you prefer your weather hot or cold? Your coffee? Your tea? Your friendships? Your relationship with God? (You knew I was going to go there…right?)
If I was a betting man, I imagine that God would prefer that our relationship with Him not be like the changing seasons. Hot one day and cold the next. Uplifting when the sun is out (when things are going well), and a little withdrawn or depressed when the rain, snow and cold are present (when things aren’t going so well). God, I think, would prefer to be close with us through all seasons of our life. Life may run a little hot or cold from time to time, but our relationship with God doesn’t have to.
Here’s a couple of reminders from Scripture that give us a little hint about God’s unwavering love for us…
Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
Psalm 139:7-12 (The Message)
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
Matthew 6: 25-26 (The Message)
The great news about a relationship with God is that God is there whether it’s hot or cold…whether you prefer your drinks with a lot of ice, a little bit of ice, or none at all. You don’t have to worry about whether or not to throw in an extra jacket or raincoat. God will be all that you need in the moment. God is like a comforter in the heart of winter… an umbrella in a downpour… and a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
It is likely that you will have to continue waking up each day and checking the weather to see if it will be hot or cold, raining or snowing. It is likely that you will pull out the sweaters and put away the shorts only to have to switch again before long. But, whatever you do, don’t put God away for the season. Let God be God for you…today, tomorrow, and all the days to come.
If someone asks you the question… “hot or cold?… just say yes!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct. 3rd, 2022
Blessings is in the Eye of the Beholder
Lately, social media platforms seem to be filled with negativity. So, imagine my surprise when I ran across the following written by Phil Brakefield for post on nextdoor.com…
I was in one of the express checkout lanes at the grocery store today. It runs parallel to the counter of the in-store pharmacy.
The store itself is upscale and always busy. The demographic appeal of the store is universal, and you can always witness a smorgasbord of mini dramas that are age specific.
But today, I saw something at the pharmacy counter that stood out like one of those photos where the main subjects are rendered in full color and the background is blurry black and white.
A very, very old couple shuffled their way slowly through the crowds of younger folk…some with faces buried in their phone, oblivious to everything and everyone around them; some with buds buried in both ears; some wielding their carts like bumper cars.
The old couple, holding hands, managed to reach the pharmacy without being bumped into or run over.
The lady was wrapped in a hefty cable sweater, and her husband wore a heavy jacket, both of which implied much colder temperatures than this day in Chicago called for.
When the pharmacist went to get their prescriptions, the old gentleman ever so gently let go of his mate’s hand and delicately rubbed her back for a moment or two before finally moving to her shoulder, where he gave it the tiniest, reassuring squeeze right where it met her neck.
I kept thinking how fortunate I am to still be blessed with robust health… able to maneuver crisply through crowds and reflexively react as situations require.
I felt badly for the old couple. They seemed a frail island in an angry sea that no longer cared when that tiny little spit of land would be washed away forever.
I finished by purchase and headed for the door, spryly navigating the crowds, again feeling blessed, and maybe a bit superior, by my good health.
I looked back towards the pharmacy counter one last time before I exited the store and noticed the old couple once more hand-in-hand and ready to again, together, work their way through the crowds.
I left.
Alone.
Holding no one’s hand.
Feeling no tiny, reassuring squeeze
on my shoulder.
And it occurred to me that maybe the old couple felt badly for me, too.
I guess it’s true that blessing is in the eye of the beholder. Getting old might not be so bad as long as you have someone to share life with. Thank God for sacred community!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 26th, 2022
Change of Seasons
picture by Corey Templeton (Flickr)
If you’ve been outside in the last couple of days, you are well aware of the fact that summer is over. We’ve been blessed by a mild summer … warm days and cool nights … but we have quickly changed to cool days and freezing nights. The time has come to start preparing for winter… plants covered if not brought in the house … patio furniture put in the shed … pools winterized … summer lawn equipment winterized… hoses put away… furnace filters changed. The reality is that you could probably wait a little longer, but then you run the risk of getting caught “out in the cold.”
At the same time as all the summer things get put away, we also have to consider what will be needed for the coming season … extra blankets, coats/jackets, scarves, gloves, winter clothes, hot cocoa, and the like. Lawn equipment is not the only thing needing winterizing … (especially for those of us who grew up in warmer climates!).
The point is that there are at least some things that are particular to a given season. Even in Florida where temperatures may bottom out at a balmy upper 30s, some adjustment is required. The question becomes… what do you do with the stuff that is not useful for the season ahead … throw it out, take it to a thrift store, or pack it away for use at the next change of season? If you’re lucky, you have a storage area where you can put out-of-season items. The problem with that is that you are then more likely to hang on to items deemed “out-of-season” when they are really “out-of-date” or “out-of-style.” There are always items that will be useful year after year, but there are some things that have served their purpose … if you get my meaning.
Take our practices, habits, and traditions in the church for instance. Some things, like corporate worship, scripture, fellowship gatherings, prayer, religious symbols, sacraments, etc. never go out-of-date while the way in which we do those things may very well go out-of-style. A prophetic people who believe that … God continues to give us inspiration through continuing revelation … God continues to work in and through us … God is always calling us forward into new living expressions of joy, hope, love, and peace … should never be afraid of or saddened by changing seasons. Even though God never changes, the world in which we live (the same one that God created) is always changing … seasons … if nothing else.
Sure, I’m always a bit sad when summer ends. Though I enjoy Fall, I never look forward to Winter … and yet … I have to admit that there’s something special about a fresh fallen snow and the laughter of children as they sled, and skate, and build snowmen, and have snowball fights, and… (Children seem to have the ability to find joy in every change of season.)
It is OK to acknowledge that perhaps some of what we’ve done in the past was meant only for a season in our journey that has now passed. We have to remember that, not only is God in control, God has plans “to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11) So, do what you will with the stuff from Summer (aka “last season”), but prepare for Fall/Winter (aka “the next season”). There’s no telling what God might bless us with in the changing of seasons, but my guess is that it’s going to be something spectacular.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 19th, 2022
God’s Nudge
Years ago, when I was entering high school, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. In order do so, it was recommended that I take two years of Latin prior to college. So, I signed up for Latin right away. (Might as well get it done and over with… right?) But, when I received me schedule of classes, I had been put in Art class rather than Latin. Although the choice to take Latin may have seemed strange, putting me in an art class seemed to be more than a stretch. I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler.
Luckily, I thought, we had a week to drop and add classes before things were set for the year. I didn’t expect to have any trouble making the change. All I needed was the signature of the art teacher… releasing me from her class so that I could take my course of choice. Problem is, she refused to sign the form. She said I had four years to take Latin, and that I needed to give art a try. I really didn’t have a choice in the matter. Long story short… Mrs. Lewellyn became my favorite high school teacher and I stayed in art all four years. And… I loved it! And yes, I still took Latin my Junior and Senior year (although I didn’t become a veterinarian… obviously!)
I’d like to say that Mrs. Lewellyn saw something in me that made her believe I could succeed at something I had never even explored, but she had never met me before I walked into her class on that first day asking to be released. Perhaps experience had taught her that people may have “hidden” gifts and talents that just need to be uncovered … encouraged … and developed. Mrs. Lewellyn pushed me when I didn’t want to be pushed… she encouraged me to push through when I wanted to quit. She helped me to understand that I would never know what I might be able to accomplish if I didn’t at least try.
And then there is God … you know … the One who knew us before we were formed (Jer 1:5)… whose “eyes beheld [our] unformed substance” and in whose “book were written all the days that were formed for [us], when none of them as yet existed.” (Psalm 139:16) God is always nudging … always calling. God is relentless!
I don’t know if you’ve had a “Mrs. Lewellyn” in your life to push you into new and exciting adventures … to challenge you to challenge yourself … to help you discover things about yourself and your abilities that you never knew existed. But I do know that you have a God that loves you and knows you intimately… a God who is always calling you forward … a God who is your greatest cheerleader because He knows what you have been created to do … who you have been created to be … and what the Holy Spirit can do through you if you are willing to give it a try.
Maybe you weren’t meant to be an artist. I certainly didn’t think I was. Perhaps “Latin” is more your style. The important thing is that God has gifted you in ways that you may not yet have discovered … ways that may make an artist out of you yet. And, if not an artist, at least an active part of God’s ongoing creative process which moves us closer to God’s peaceable kingdom.
Over the years, I have tried to emulate Mrs. Lewellyn as I have encountered folks who lack confidence in themselves, or fail to acknowledge a gift or talent or ability that is resident in them. And I even admit though, after all these years, I sometimes still need a little encouragement … a gentle nudge … and possibly an outright shove from people I love and admire to get me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.
I wonder… what gift or talent has God hidden within you that is waiting for expression? It’s my prayer that you will open your heart and listen for God’s nudge in your life, and that you will find the courage to follow God’s lead. Who knows how many people will be blessed because you did?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 12th, 2022
No Jackhammer Required!
One of the congregations I serve had decided that they wanted to consider expanding their ministry feeding folks in their community. The problem was that the church facility… especially in the areas where said food would be prepared … had issues. The wallpaper was peeling, and many of the tiles on the floor were chipped or broken or were no longer glued down. To put it bluntly, the kitchen and fellowship areas needed a makeover.
So, I decided to schedule a couple of days to go and get things started. I had a list of things I felt that I could accomplish if I stayed focused. I packed a couple of bags with the tools I thought I would be adequate for the job (scrapers and a spray bottle for the wallpaper removal, and a long-handled flat spade to lift the broken tiles.
There were a few things that I had failed to consider:
- The possibility that what was visible to the naked eye was not the only layer of either, and…
- The strength of the glue holding the wallpaper that had not begun peeling and the tiles that had not yet loosened. Apparently super glue (or something even stronger) was in great supply during the application process of both the paper and the tiles, and…
- The longer something has been in place, the harder it is to remove!
Needless to say, after two long days of very hard labor and the rental of some heavy-duty equipment (basically a mini jack hammer disguised as a floor stripper), the “makeover” is still not complete. Renovation/transformation takes time.
As I chipped away at the tiles and pulled at the layers of wallpaper, I thought about how much work is required of us when God calls us to something new or to expand/build on/improve something that is perhaps in need of a “makeover” … our attitudes, our perceptions of others, our perceptions of what is right or the right way to do something, our relationship with God, even how we define “church.” Sometimes that makeover requires the peeling away of multiple layers… some of which have been “glued down” for a long time. Depending on how we’ve arrived at those attitudes and perceptions (personal experience, the teachings of a beloved mentor or family member, etc.), the “glue” might be stronger in some places than in others. And, if those attitudes and perceptions have come from a variety of sources, there may be several layers that need removing.
Here is where the analogy between the two makeovers breaks down … God doesn’t resort to using a jackhammer to get us where we need to be to accomplish that to which we have been called or for which we have been given gifts and talents. As a matter of fact, I don’t think God expects us to use a jackhammer, but rather open our hearts to a slow and steady process. God waits until we are ready, always holding before us the possibilities and promises of the peaceable kingdom. It’s up to us to peel away the layers and allow God to prepare and equip us to join in Christ’s mission.
The church kitchen and fellowship hall were functional as they were. Without a makeover, they would have been sufficient to continue the routines already in place. But with a makeover, there’s no telling what God can do in that place. The same is true for us. We can continue on in our current routines, or we can take an honest look in the mirror, determine what needs a makeover (of maybe just a “fresh coat of paint”), and allow God to do incredible things through us.
Are you ready for a makeover? Could you benefit from the removal of some old peeling or chipped “layers?” Is God waiting to do something new in you? Imagine the possibilities! And remember… no jackhammer required!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 5th, 2022
And the Two Shall Become One
A little over a year ago, a young man asked for the blessing of my wife and I to marry our oldest daughter. We had known him for a couple of years by this point, and were delighted to give our blessing. Since then, we have been on a long and exciting journey of discovery, learning and growing. Having been married for thirty-five years ourselves, we were well aware of the ways in which two people who are seeking to commit themselves to one another must be able to adapt and compromise. But we are also deeply aware of the incredible benefits of growing into the best we can be … together.
No matter how similar the culture, there are always things to learn from one another. Imagine then, what is necessary when people from different cultures come together. Traditions, language, verbal expressions, role expectations, favorite foods … just to name a few … are all things that can be vastly different, and therefore require that all parties be flexible and open. Anything less would, at best, limit the opportunities to experience the beauty and richness that each brings to the table, and at worst, be the end of something special before it even begins.
Too often, people in today’s world are either so scared of change, or so stuck in their own ways of doing things, that they don’t take the time to see the possibilities available when we come together across lines of culture and ethnicity. For too long, the phrase “and the two shall become one” has been used as a way to convince people that someone must give up their unique identity and become someone else.
What is being confirmed for me more and more everyday is, quite honestly, something that people have been saying for years, and… something I have been saying to prospective couples for those same years. A person can become “one” with another without giving up their identity. As a matter of fact, the “one” that they become is something totally new and beautiful… made up of a blend of the unique qualities (backgrounds, cultures, traditions, etc.) that each brings to the relationship.
The same is true for groups of people… communities … representing various cultures … races … religions … lifestyles … world views … and … traditions. There is so much for all of us to gain … from learning from one another… from setting aside our pride and our need to be right … from experiencing something new … from meeting one another half way … from listening deeply … from looking at the world from a different perspective as a means for seeking understanding.
When I think of my own journey and all of the things I like or enjoy that I would never have imagined liking or enjoying, I am in awe. Would I have survived life with my limited perspective … having experienced only one culture or way of doing things? Probably. Is my life fuller because I have seen new things, tasted new foods, met new people, experienced new ways of approaching the world? Definitely!!
I believe that the world would be a better place if “the many would become one.” Not by giving up their individuality, but by sharing the best of themselves with others and taking into themselves the best that others have to offer. That, I think, is the “Kingdom of God” way.
If you think that starting with “the many” is too much, how about start with one person who sees the world differently than you, and is willing to join you on a journey of truly getting to know one another. I think you’ll be surprised how possible it is for “the two to become one” if you’re willing to work at it. No matter what, you’ll be better because you tried.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 29th, 2022
Time for a Cultural Change
Every once in a while there is something written in another time that bears repeating… or remembering. This piece first appeared on “From the Desk of …” in September of 2017, and I think that it is definitely worth repeating…
While watching the news this morning (9/26/17), I picked up part of an interview with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in which he was promoting his new book. I haven’t read it, so I won’t put in a plug for it. You’ll have to do that yourself. But here’s what I can share from the interview…
Nadella was asked why empathy plays such a big role in his business cultural model (a model that has proven to be very successful), and he said it had a lot to do with another interview in his life…his first interview for a job at Microsoft. He said that the last question he was asked was, “If you saw a small child fall in the road, what would you do?” Nadella says that after a couple of seconds he responded by saying, “I guess I’d call 911.” To which the interviewer got up and left the room. Nadella says he later found out that the correct answer was “to pick her up and give her a hug.” Not exactly what you’d expect in the “dog eat dog” world of corporate competitive culture. And yet, Nadella said it changed his way of thinking…and helped him see the value of a culture of empathy.
I couldn’t help but relate that to our setting in the church. For hundreds of years (actually thousands of years) the Body of Christ has sought to find its place…to create an identity…to make its mark on the world…to establish its moral authority. In many ways, this search has led to the drawing of lines in the sand where strict righteousness codes have been created and biblical laws have been defined. Those codes and laws, in turn and for all intents and purposes, have become the basis for many “911 calls” in the church.
Here’s what I mean… when someone breaks a church code or law (that’s right, I said church code or law…not even necessarily a God code or law), all good Christians have been taught to CALL 911! Call the authorities…point fingers…pass judgement…offer advice and counsel…demand repentance… chastise…
But what if our first response was simply to “pick them up” and give them a hug? What if we always chose to love instead of judge…offer forgiveness instead of demanding repentance…encourage instead of chastise…use our fingers (and hands) to lift up rather than point out? I can’t help but see in Jesus’ example that very way of being. Then, in the midst of empathetic and authentic relationship, those he encountered found the strength and the will to live in the ways he himself embodied and desired of his followers.
If our understanding of Christian “culture” is lacking in empathy, understanding, grace, and forgiveness…then perhaps it’s time for a cultural change.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 22nd, 2022
How Far?
Jesus said, “…if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” (Matt. 5:41-42)
The Proclaimers said, “…And I would roll 500 miles, and I would roll 500 more, Just to be the [one] who rolls a thousand miles to fall down at your door.
As a child, I remember trips to see my maternal grandparents who lived between fifty and sixty miles away from our home. Those trips were major events. It was as if my grandparents lived in another country. We had to plan ahead and save our money so that we could afford the gas. We left home early in the morning in order to have as much time as possible at our destination… to make it worthwhile. When it was time to go, we (the kids) bedded down in the back of the station wagon and slept all the way home … the whole hour that seemed like forever.
Today, I was thinking about those excursions to see family as I drove 50+ miles for a 2-hour meeting with friends on the far side of the area I serve. (I know others serve/cover larger areas, but this is 50+ miles in Chicago traffic!). But, though the drive is not my idea of fun, spending time with friends…even for an hour or two… and yes, even in a meeting … especially when food is also involved … is definitely among those things that qualify as my idea of fun… and, consequently, are worth the drive.
For some reason, the refrain from “I’m Gonna Be” by the Proclaimers popped into my head as these thoughts of long travel and being with those I love swirled about. (For those of you who know all of the lyrics to the song … it’s the idea of being together that counts!). As it turns out, long car rides have become a regular part of my work and ministry. Unlike during my childhood (though gas prices have increased 1000%), I don’t think twice about hopping in the car and going to do what needs to be done. But I have to wonder… is there a limit? How far are we willing to go for someone else… a friend … a loved one … a person in need? Would we travel a mile… 5 … 500? Maybe not for a meeting only, but, for the people gathered?
If Jesus can suggest walking an extra mile to avoid resisting an evildoer, how much more important is it that we be willing to go the extra mile (or more) for those we love … and, more importantly, those who God loves … even if we don’t (aka our enemies).
I encourage you to consider how far you are willing to go for another. What would it take to get you to go a little further to meet them where they are? Sometimes the distance is real, but sometimes it is only in our minds.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 15th, 2022
Flourish
I have no doubt that God is at work in our world. I also have no doubt that each of us is called and gifted to play a role in what God is wanting to accomplish in this world. The problem is that, much of the time, there is so much to be done… so much clamoring or our attention… and so many reasons to just give up… to walk away… to make excuses.
What would happen if we could find our passion… connect with our giftedness … and become the very best at those things that give us life, and in doing so, give life to others? Where would we start?
Chip Gaines, in a recent “Chip Gets the Last Word” article, talks about what he has found that makes him flourish. He recalls the early days of beginning his business and the struggles and stresses of meeting the needs of his family and the expectations of his employees. Ultimately, he decided that living in the stress of the “impossible task” is where he flourished. However, he also acknowledged that was not true for everyone. Here’s what he suggested…
“The trick is finding out what makes you come alive, and then pushing into that with all you’ve got. Taking it to the very edge so you know how much you have to give. Whether you win or lose doesn’t matter much, not if you feel like you’re on top of the world.
Try this… think back to a time when you were really living. I mean living. In your element without second-guessing yourself. Now take note of all the circumstances surrounding you. Who was in your life, what you had to gain, what you had to lose, and what kept you running away.
Write it down and sit with those details for a minute.
I’ll go out on a limb and guess that your life wasn’t picture-perfect…We can have one without the other, but more often than not, flourishing happens in that stretch in between. It’d be a mistake to think that we’re only at our best when everything is working out in our favor. The sooner we wrap our arms around the imperfect possibilities of today, the sooner we’ll realize that today has more to offer that we could possibly imagine. It doesn’t matter if things are tough … nothing is big enough to keep you from thriving.
Living life to the fullest takes commitment. But it’s worth seeing what’s at the end of that road. It’d be a shame to find what we love most about living and only go halfway. I say we push through whatever doubts and discomforts are holding us back and trust that we’ll come out on the other side. Somewhere in that darkness, you’ll catch a glimmer of light. Press into it with all you’ve got and pray for a miracle. To me, that’s flourishing. Let’s not miss it.”[i]
Chip’s advice applies to all arenas of our life … our families, our relationships, our calling, our vocation… and even our own wellbeing. There is great joy to be found in connecting with who you were created to be, to do what you are created to do, and to be a blessing to the world because you were able to commit to living that out to the fullest.
Don’t miss it!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Chip Gaines, Chip Gets the Last Word,” in Magnolia Journal, May (Summer) 2022, Volume 7, No.2, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corp, 2022), 120.
For the week of August 8th, 2022
Worth the Cost?
As I was leaving a friend’s home the other day, I saw, up ahead, a couple of children who appeared to be standing in their driveway yelling at every car that passed by. My windows were up and my radio was on and I could not hear what they were yelling. In today’s world, it could have been anything from hurling hateful epithets (yes, children do that sometimes) to a cry for help. I doubted, however, that it was too serious as no other car stopped. If they were crying out for help, no one was responding… and perhaps not even paying attention.
It wasn’t until I got close to them that I could see that they were in fact calling out for a type of “aid”… lemon-ade! It was the first time in quite a while that I had seen children running a lemonade stand, so it had not occurred to me that these children might be entrepreneurs. I slowed the car to read the sign they had posted on their “stand” and could not help but be drawn in by their enthusiasm.
Yes, I had a full schedule and therefore every reasonable excuse to pass them by, but I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint them. Their yelling came from a place of pure joy and excitement. And, if you can believe it, they were only charging $.50 for a 16 oz cup of ice-cold refreshment. Even if the cost had been more, or the cup had been a dixie cup, it would have been worth the cost.
Almost before I could get out of my car, I was met by a smiling, joy-filled child who was so excited that someone had heard him calling out that he almost forgot to take my money before turning and running back to his “work.”
Our relationship with Christ can be a lot like my encounter with these little children. Too often we find all of the “reasonable excuses” not to slow down and perhaps even stop to see what is being offered. Christ calls out for us to stop and receive refreshment in the midst of our harried lives. He offers us friendship… companionship… refreshment. And, the cost is worth it.
Jesus said,
“As [God] has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, … “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (v.12) … you will abide in my love, just as I have kept [God’s] commandments and abide in [God’s] love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from [God]. You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last… “ –John 15:9-12. 14-16 (NRSV, adapted)
The children standing and yelling beside the road were bearing a fruit of sorts, and though the lemonade did not last long… the joy they brought to my day is sure to last…
Is loving one another too high a cost to pay? Or, is it worth it for the chance to abide in Christ and to be called friend?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 1st, 2022
Exhaustion
In a recent article written for Sojourner’s magazine, Adam Russell Taylor, recounts the many reasons why he is (and so many of us are) “exhausted.” Most of the exhaustion he recounts comes from the stark divisions that have been and continue to escalate all around us… between political parties, families, friends, communities… even churches.
Taylor offers the following encouragement for those of us holding on to hope and to those who may have lost hope for a better day and a better way…
“So what can help us cure our exhaustion? Where can we find the energy to stay engaged in our political system, despite its brokenness?
Personally, I turn to Paul’s pastoral letters to the church at Corinth, a community that was also grappling with bitter divisions. In his letters, Paul offers a pathway out of despair: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us,” he writes. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). Paul reminds the Corinthians that their struggles and divisions never have the last word; even in their exhausted state, they are never forsaken. Womanist Bible scholar Wil Gafney writes that this is one of many passages in the Bible reminding us of God’s abiding presence, even when we’re feeling pressed and perplexed. Despite these things, “God chooses to dwell among her people, accompanying them through the perils of a very broken world,” writes Gafney. “We are every bit as broken and God is every bit as present.”
A few chapters later, Paul takes this promise a step further. He writes: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). Paul acknowledges the despair and weariness the church is experiencing, even calling it “death” they carry around in their bodies (4:10). But for Paul, this very death — or for us, our exhaustion — can be how God works through us for transformation.
When I’m feeling especially exhausted, I turn to one of my favorite places in scripture in which the prophet Isaiah provides a timeless reminder of God’s work in and through us — even, or especially, when we’re exhausted. It’s worth quoting at length: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing … He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:21-23, 29-31).
This passage reminds me that God is present and active throughout the great arc of history, always working through people to transform even the most intractable injustices. God never promises we won’t be exhausted; God promises to renew our strength. For those of us who feel exhausted, this is good news: by leaning on God in these demoralizing times, we can renew our strength. The ongoing race to build a truly inclusive and just multi-racial democracy has been a long and arduous one filled with progress and regress. Even in this dark hour, know that God can turn exhaustion into the renewed strength and perseverance we will need in the days and months to come.”[i]
May we be bearers of the good news… even in the midst of our exhaustion!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Adam Russell Taylor, A Pastoral Letter to the Exhausted Majority, https://sojo.net/articles/pastoral-letter-exhausted-majority, July 7, 2022.
For the week of July 25th, 2022
Grow Wildly
On any given day, the news is filled with stories of chaos and destruction, hurt and loss, division and hatred, injustice and misinformation. If we’re not watching closely, we can pass our days with a feeling of desperation and desolation. Missing moments that bring thoughts of hope and joy… stories of life and love… images of community and creativity. Some days, it seems as if the only rays of goodness can be found in the cracks between the stories that make the headlines.
Sometimes we simply need a reminder of where to look and how to experience life in a way that opens the doors wide to the beauty that God has created and the abundant life that God desires for us in harmony with all of creation.
I found such a reminder in recent “letter from the editor” (Joanna Gaines) found in Magnolia.[i]
“The beat of summer is a familiar call – steady and sure, it leads us up and out our doors, toward an endless abundance. Sunlight overflowing as the days stretch longer. Water that lies in wait dances with every splash we make. Fruits at their peak, juicy and bursting at the seams – reminders that the sweetest things in life cost nothing but one willing “yes” after another.
All around us, life is flourishing. For you, it may seem only natural to get in on the fun. But for me, it often looks like a slow yes. I can take life so seriously sometimes that I forget to enjoy the moments staring back at me. To let something stir my spirit or stop me in my tracks. To look around and truly take note of the growth of all that I have nurtured. But [I am being prompted] to savor with abandon. To take nature’s cue and grow wildly. To take in every breath, every sound, every taste. To let the summer moments stretch and soften and steady my life in motion for the 90 days. And then, to see what still remains long after summer’s reign.
In the coming months, as our surroundings thrive in big and small ways, my hope is that these pages might remind us all to take note of the goodness swirling around – and to watch for what it calls out of us as well. It might be a subtle flair, just for you and you alone. Or perhaps it makes a big splash. It might look like setting aside the work, the toil, the things to do, and in their place, making space for a little lightness and a little joy. I know that for me this season will have me reaching for my roller skates, because sometimes it’s the simple things – the feel of the wind on your face, no destination in mind but the horizon – that show us we can flourish too.
Of course, it doesn’t have to look like lacing up or doing something new. There’s an unexpected delight that comes with taking something ordinary and making it special.
God is good. In times like these, when joy and hope seem to be hiding, God is walking with us and creating ways for us to flourish. Perhaps we can all take a cue from nature and find a way to grow wildly… in our love for God, in our love for one another, and in our commitment to be beacons of hope and joy for those we encounter.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Gaines, Joanna, “a letter from the editor… flourish,” Magnolia Journal,Summer 2022, Vol. 7, No. 2, (Des Moines: Meridith Operations Corp, 2022), 12.
For the week of July 18th, 2022
And Justice for All
The last few years have opened my eyes to a number of things I previously took for granted.
The other day, I was on the phone with a representative of the local tollway authority. I had received a violation notice in the mail saying that I had missed paying a couple of $1.50 tolls a few months earlier and that I needed to either pay the tolls (which with fines and fees now amounted to $210.00) or file an affidavit of non-liability. Of course, I chose the latter. After all, I have had the same transponder in the same car with the same license plates for the last five years and have been being regularly charged for toll road usage both before and after the date in question. There had obviously been a mistake which should be easily rectified.
Then, I received notice that my affidavit had been denied and that the total for non-payment was now $270. Apparently, there was a minor discrepancy in the “plate on file” and the one captured in the picture at the toll booth. Clearly an entry error… but an understandable error just the same. I thought that if I could just speak to someone in person and explain, all would be OK. So, I called the customer service line. Each representative with whom I spoke said they were unable to do anything about the fines and that I would have to pay, to which I responded by asking to speak to their supervisor.
By the time I had gotten to the third level supervisor, I was very frustrated. The evidence was clear, but even clearer was the fact that “justice” would not be served. The person on the phone agreed to waive the last added fee if I would pay immediately. I reluctantly agreed, and she put me on hold to make notations on the account. As I sat in my car waiting for her to return, tears began to form and I couldn’t stop them, and I wasn’t sure why.
At first I thought it was because I was angry… with the system… with the typing error that had caused it all. Then, in one those rare moments of Holy Spirit provided clarity, I experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s presence, and I knew that the tears were coming from a realization that I lived in an unjust and unfair world, and that the helplessness and frustration I was feeling, although it was significant to me in the moment, was nothing compared to what my brothers and sisters in marginalized communities experienced every day (persons marginalized due to the color of their skin, their economic status, whom they love, their gender identity, their age, the neighborhood in which they live … and the list goes on…).
I had spent a couple of hours working to get the answers that I wanted and deserved, while so many in the world, in this country, and even in my community struggle day in and day out to get simple life needs met. I had gotten frustrated by an unrelenting chain of customer service representatives, while parents in my community were worried about whether or not their children would return home safely after school and work … whether or not they would be able to afford groceries for dinner … whether or not there would be new laws passed that would take away their freedom and dignity as children of God.
And I wondered, how is God calling me to spend time working as hard for “justice” for my brothers and sisters on far more important matters than getting beyond a wrongful toll violation. Would I turn the anger and frustration and tears into something more productive on behalf of others so that I could truly participate in Christ’s mission to “to bring good news to the poor … to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind … to set free those who are oppressed, [and] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”? (Luke 4:18-19) To create space in which there is “justice for all?”
What “wall of justice” will you need to run up against personally in order that you might wonder, with me, how we are being called to build a more peaceable and just “kindom” where there is justice for all?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 11th, 2022
Play Through the Middle
As I have said before, sometimes inspiration comes from the stories that others tell. The following is an excerpt from a piece written by Dr. Richar Antoine White[i]…
“[Growing up on the streets of Baltimore] music was my first comfort, a safe place in an otherwise scary reality. But it was my imagination that made music out of my life. As a child on the streets, I could so vividly envision a warm blanket that a real, tangible warmth would creep over my body. I could dream up a chicken sandwich so juicy that my hunger would, if only for a moment, subside. The gift of being able to see things as they could be saved my life on those streets. It let me enter another dimension – one where anything was possible. There I could dream, and boldly.
When I first came across a tuba… I was in sixth-grade band class. So what if I could barely hold the thing upright at the time? There was only one tuba in the band, and I was determined I would be the kid playing it…
It was slow going, but playing music was like a light going on in the dark for me. It let me communicate in a way I had never been able to before.
When I asked me foster dad, who later became Dad to me, to drive me to an audition for the Baltimore School for the Arts, I had no idea that the other kids could read music. I’m not sure I even knew that reading music was a thing. Playing by ear was all I knew. But I had the sounds and the notes deep inside of me by then, and I could tell a story with them as they hit the air. Turns out the ability to tell a good story, to reach out through the music, is exactly what that audition committee was hungry for. My seeming disadvantage was my superpower…
I think the world would say my greatest accomplishment is that I came from nothing and became successful. Maybe they would point to me becoming the principal tubist in a symphony orchestra or earning my doctorate from one of the most competitive music programs in the country. But I know my greatest achievement is my job as a teacher. Every day I get to touch the students’ lives in a way where I can see the lightbulb of possibilities click on in their heads.
They’ll say, “Dr. White, I can’t play this piece. This is too hard.” And I know they’re talking about more than the difficulty of the composition. They’re talking about life and how they see their own limits.
“Play the first note,” I tell them. “Now play the last note.” And then I say, “See? We’ve got the beginning and the ending. Now all we’ve got to do is play through the middle.”
Dr. White concludes the article by saying, “we all have the same notes to choose from. It’s how we put them together that makes all the difference.” I with this were true. Unfortunately, however, in my work with folks marginalized for reasons of skin color, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, mental health, etc., I have found that, in fact, we are not all given the same notes from which to choose. In our humanity, we often thwart God’s “common notes” intentions through systems, cultures, traditions, stereotypes, and worldviews, etc. that ensure “blessing” for some to the detriment of others.
As followers of Christ, we are called to see that everyone starts with the same sheet music. Sure, it will be interpreted differently. Because we are all uniquely gifted by God, some will play the notes as written…some will only play the melody line… some will improvise altogether… and, some may create a new arrangement. Our role… our calling … is to make sure that everyone has the same beginning and ending note, and then “to play through the middle”… together. In doing so, we will have a better chance of achieving a more peaceable and just community where all can receive God’s blessing… “another dimension – one where anything [is] possible.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] White, Dr. Richard, “People Who Inspire,” found in Magnolia Journal, May (Summer) 2022, Volume 7, No.2 (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corp., 2022), p 36.
For the week of July 4th, 2022
Hold On
The other day, while walking along the shore line of a bay on the northern coast of Washington, I was fascinated by the variety of animal life that was present among the rocks… which at that time were baking in the sun due to the fact that it was low tide. Had I not been looking closely, I would have easily missed the life that was there. What appeared to be a desolate bed of rocks tossed ashore by changing tides, was actually the habitat for a wide variety of limpets, mussels, sea snails, crabs and barnacles.
I was particularly drawn to the barnacles. Attached to the surfaces of rocks, driftwood and other shells, they appeared completely dried up and lifeless. One particular group of barnacles was attached to the limb of a large fallen tree which hung several inches above the ground. Unlike some of the other barnacle colonies which had attached to moveable objects, these had chosen a completely stationary object on which to make their home. Theirs was not a place of constant nourishment. Theirs was a life dependent on the ebb and flow of the tide. Until the next change of tide, the best they could do was to “hold on” for dear life and wait.
I have been blessed over the years to encounter people from a variety of walks of life. In those encounters, I have found some who seem to live in the presence of “regularly flowing waters” where blessings are always in abundance. More often, however, I have encountered those who, like the barnacles on the suspended tree limb, live in a place where waters come and go like the tide, alternating between times of abundance and times of scarcity… times of assurance and times of doubt … times of joy and times of mourning … times of confidence and times of fear… times of community and times of loneliness.
Sound familiar? Perhaps the reason that I imagined these barnacles holding on for dear life is because it is what we do when we face adversity. In times of scarcity, doubt, mourning, fear, loss, and loneliness, it is a natural human reaction to hold on for dear life… clinging to whatever “branch” we can … waiting for the next incoming tide that will bring relief, nourishment, companionship, hope and … even life. It’s not always as simple as choosing between a limb or a rock on which to make our “home.” Sometimes, life happens, and we have to make the best of what we have.
I don’t know much about barnacles, but I doubt that there is much of a thought process involved in their waiting. They don’t require faith to make it until the next tide. It either comes or it doesn’t… they survive or they don’t. For us, though we may not have a choice in what comes our way, we do have a choice in how we respond, and how we live while we wait. Thankfully, we have our faith, each other, and a God who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. God’s design for creation includes the ebb and flow of tides. The tide which brought “life” before will return in God’s time. Though it may seem that the barnacles couldn’t possibly make it another minute, their creator knows their needs and will provide.
Whatever is causing you to “hold on” at this moment in your life while you wait for the relief that comes with the new tide, know that God also knows your needs and will provide.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me… I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you… and now I have told this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe.” John 14: 1, 18, 29 (NRSVUE)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 27th, 2022
The Beat Goes On
A friend of mine asks his congregation every Sunday, “Where have you seen God in your lives this week?” It’s a constant reminder to be intentionally aware in our daily lives of how where God is acting in our midst and… that, in spite of what we might think, God is always in our midst. Sometimes, it is much easier to see and recognize God’s presence in our midst.
This past week, I was blessed to be able to attend a family camp … to teach, preach, be present, and watch in amazement as God showed up time and time again. Not only was scripture fulfilled in my hearing during my time there, it was also fulfilled in my seeing.
During one of our evening worship services, the children came to the stage to sing a couple of the songs they had learned in their classes. The “choir” was made up of children between the ages of three and twelve. Of course, the older children were focused and carried the music. I couldn’t help watch, however, one young boy who was a little less focused. He ran back and forth across the stage during the songs, distracted by the crowd, the other children, the musical instruments, etc. To the observer, it appeared that he was completely uninterested in participating in that which was taking place around him. Until… until it got to the part in the song where Jesus’ name was sung. Every time the song would say “Jesus,” this young boy would stop in his tracks, turn toward the congregation, and “sing” (a.k.a. yell) Jesus at the top of his lungs. Each time, he was a half beat behind the music, but that did not diminish the pure joy and abandon with which he “sang.”
As I watched this young boy in action, I couldn’t help but think of how much we (disciples of Jesus) are like him… easily distracted, running here and there, often a half beat…if not more… behind the “song.” If we’re not careful, we can get so distracted that we miss the cues altogether. We miss the places and ways in which God is present with us, and the times and places to which God is calling us.
It’s easy to find God in a setting like a family camp where all eyes are on God and each other. It’s easy to find God when you’re surrounded by people who have gathered for that very reason. In those settings we can block out the distractions and stay “on beat”… we have the luxury of seeing God in both big and little things.
But what about when we are living in our daily routines and life settings? Then, it’s not so easy. I get that! At least this young boy had the music playing constantly in the background while he was living in the distractions. He had a point of reference on which to turn. And, even when he was a half beat behind, he knew what he was supposed to do…and he did it with conviction.
What is the “music” that you have playing in the background when you’re living in the midst of life’s distractions… “music” that keeps you grounded, draws you back, fills you with joy and abandon and conviction regarding the things that matter most? Prayer, spiritual friendship, spiritual practices, sacred community? What is it that keeps you turning forward… even if you’re a half beat behind sometimes?
Where have you seen God in your life this week? There’s still time to “catch” the beat!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 20th, 2022
For What Shall We Pray?
[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come…your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.” – Luke 11:1-4 (NRSVUE)
Recently, our family had a discussion about how to pray. For some it is easy, while for others it is something they have never done… either because they think they can’t or aren’t worthy, or because they don’t believe in prayer in the first place.
We were facing a life-or-death situation for a family member who needed multiple organ transplants in order to regain his health. What we realized is that for our loved one to receive the organs that he so desperately needed, another family would have to sacrifice. Someone would have to die for the organs to become available. It became particularly relevant during the waiting when one of the potential donors was still “alive,” but only due to being on life support. For those organs to become available, this donor would have to be taken off of life support thereby removing any chances of their “recovery,” and committing them to certain death. How could we pray for someone else to sacrifice a loved one so that we wouldn’t have to?
Perhaps for some, it’s a “no-brainer.” Typically, folks pray for the blessings they want. After all, I count at least 11 times in the New Testament when we are promised that whatever we ask will be granted. It is important to note, however, that most of those references include either “in my name” or “if you keep my commands.”
At the heart of our conversation was the question, “For what should we pray?” Should we pray that we would be blessed, or was it possible to pray that God’s will be done so that all concerned… on both sides of the issue… would be blessed?
As hard as it is to hear, and to say … with meaning… Jesus’ example to the disciples includes the answer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done…”. This does not mean that we are simply turning everything over to God to decide who lives and who dies, wins or loses, thrives or suffers, dominates or oppresses. We believe in a God who creates beauty and perfection … a God who desires abundant life for all of creation. We walk in faith … believing that even when things don’t turn out for the best (from our limited point of view), God is always watching … always present … always loving … always working to bless us.
To ask for something “in Jesus’ name,” is not just to say his name at the end of a long list of wants, but rather to be closely aligned in heart and mind with all that Jesus represented and taught, and with all that God is.
For what shall we pray?
That God’s will be done … in Jesus’ name!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 13th, 2022
The Heat is On
As one who grew up in Florida and was pretty much used to year-round heat, it’s no wonder I was not a big fan of real winters when introduced to the Midwest. My idea of a “White Christmas” was walking on the sugar white sands of Pensacola Beach. After spending nearly thirty years in the Midwest, however, I have gotten somewhat used to the cold (though I’m still not a big fan). Even so, I still find myself… about mid-February pining for warmer days.
Well… the warmer days have arrived. “The heat is on.” With the hot and muggy air that followed a recent storm, the temperatures took a dramatic turn in a matter of hours. We knew it was going to get hot, perhaps even reaching record levels for our area, but nothing could quite prepare even this southern boy for the intense heat that met me when I opened the door to go outside yesterday.
The air was thick, as much as that is possible, and the heat was oppressive. At the risk of sounding a little overdramatic, it was if I had opened a door only to walk into a wall. There was no where to go, in a forward direction, where relief could be found. The only way to avoid the heat was to turn around and go back… into the cool, comfortable space from which I had come.
How often in life do we encounter “walls” that seem impassable… things (life experiences, personal encounters, relational conflicts, etc.) that leave us feeling we cannot move forward … or at least make us wonder if it’s worth experiencing “the heat” that awaits us? How often do we turn back to the places, relationships, and ways of being that are more “cool and comfortable?”
In my own life, as I have become more aware of the issues that other of God’s children face, I find that what I have thought were impassable walls were not much more than waist high picket fences … obstacles to be sure, but far from impassable. Perhaps your “wall” or your “heat wave” seems impassable at this moment. Perhaps you’ve opened a “door” in your life only to turn around and go back to something more comfortable … more safe … more tolerable. Each person experiences what are for them “difficult times” that they think they will never be able to get over or around.
What we don’t know is, what life opportunity is on the other side of that “wall”? What might we be able to accomplish if we push forward … through the “heat” … over or around the wall?
If we are always stopped by the wall of heat that is before us, we would never accomplish anything… for God … for others … for ourselves. The “heat” doesn’t only come in summer. We live in a time where “the heat is on.” Mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence rather than an anomaly, people are feeling more and more empowered to speak and act in hateful ways rather than to celebrate the richness of diverse community, individuals and groups hold on to their “rights” at the expense of doing what is necessary for the building of creating sacred community and the Peaceable Kingdom. The heat is on. And we, disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, are called to step into the heat, tear down the walls, and work to bring about justice and peace for all.
When you open a door only to be faced with a proverbial wall, remember … if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20-21
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 6th, 2022
Fear and Suspicion
Picture by Alyssa L. Miller – Flickr
The other day, I was out running errands and I noticed that there was a bit of a slow down in traffic on a particular road. Though I could hear horns blowing, I could not see the cause of the slow down. Eventually, I got close enough to see that a car was stalled in one of the lanes and it didn’t appear that anyone was doing anything about it. Though the drivers of the passing cars had time to blow their horns or make a vulgar gesture towards the stranded driver, no one seemed to have time to stop and help.
I had enough time to offer help by way of a push to the nearby cross street, so I found a place to park my car (on the side street) and walked back to offer my assistance. As I approached the car, I was taken aback by the hesitation and look of fear that came to the driver’s face. Holding his phone where I could see it, he offered both apology and explanation. He was doing his best to call for help. It seemed, by his response, that he thought I might be coming over to yell at him or perhaps worse. It wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary given how others had been responding.
I assured the gentleman that everything was OK and that I was just there to help. Even as we worked together to move the car out of the busy street, I got the impression that he was still filled with fear… or at least suspicion.
It makes me sad that our world is so full of conspiracy theories, hate speech and hateful actions, dysfunctional and/or broken relationships, harmful rhetoric and general disregard for others that it was hard to believe that someone would stop to offer assistance “just because.” I know I’m getting old, but not so old that I have forgotten what it was like to be able to trust the good in others… to talk to a stranger without fear of harm … to offer and/or receive the help of a random passerby. That is a privilege that I had because of the environment and community in which I was raised. As a child, and even as a young adult, I had no idea that everyone didn’t have a similar experience of “safety” … the ability to leave my home without fear … at least within their family and immediate community.
The scriptures tell us that “God is a God not of disorder but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14: 33 (NRSV) and that “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1: 7.
As disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who came to show us what the reign of God (the Kingdom of God on Earth) was to be like… we need to be reminded of this. More importantly, we need to be an active part in showing the world that there is an alternative to living in a world where chaos and suspicion and fear are the norm.
It will take more than a day or a single act to begin to create sacred community and turn the tide away from the fear and suspicion that have become deeply engrained in us (some more than others) because of the long history of events and actions led by those who sought (and still seek) to maintain power and dominion that have made trust and respect hard to come by. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make every effort to start the shift. The “man in the stalled car” is waiting. The world is waiting. God is waiting. It will take time, persistence, determination, consistency, and the uncommon commitment of those who have experienced days without fear and suspicion to extend their hand and heart in love.
Inspired Counsel to the Community of Christ (Doctrine and Covenants 161:3c) reminds us…
“Be patient with one another, for creating sacred community is arduous and even painful. But it is to loving community such as this that each is called. Be courageous and visionary, believing in the power of just a few vibrant witnesses to transform the world. Be assured that love will overcome the voices of fear, division, and deceit.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 30th, 2022
Items on a List
There are at least a few places a person goes where they expect to be “known.” One of those, for me, is the doctor’s office. However, on a recent visit to my primary care doctor for a routine checkup, I got the distinct impression that my doctor had no idea who I was.
He had entered the exam room one and a half hours after my scheduled appointment. He came in carrying his laptop (aka his “brain” … the thing that identified who he was in the room with). He was a bit disheveled, and rolled his eyes as he entered my room… I assume it was meant to be some signal that meant something like “what a day… what can you do… you understand…”. Which, by the way, I didn’t. What I understood was that I was a paying “customer” and expected his full attention to my needs.
Let me just say that I realize that I am one in several hundred patients that he sees maybe once or twice a year. We are by no means well acquainted. However, the doctor proceeded to sit at the “desk” with his back to me, and… I think… read my chart that should have told him all he needed to know about who I was and perhaps even where we “left off” at our last meeting. And yet, he asked questions, the answers to which should have been on the screen in front of him.
The rest of the appointment was more of the same. Though he was asking questions, I don’t think he was listening to the answers. He was “checking items off the list”… and I was just another one of those “items.”
I left the office wondering what had just happened. Luckily for me, I didn’t have any significant concerns or needs so, with the exception of a couple hours of my time (and life) … nothing was lost and no damage had been done.
It did make me wonder though… because church is another place where I expect to be known… How often do people leave church feeling the way I did when I left the doctor’s office … nothing particularly had been gained, but neither had anything been lost or any damage done?
If it weren’t so much trouble to find a new doctor… get an appointment… and get settled in… I might be in the market for a new doctor. Are the people we call family… our brothers and sisters in Christ only participating in our community because it would be too much trouble (and work) to look for an alternative? And what about those brothers and sisters in Christ whom we have not yet met… are they not finding sacred community because it’s too much trouble to start something new…because when they have tried, they have found Christians to be in a hurry, backs turned, disheveled, distracted, asking irrelevant questions, treating them as an item on the list to be “checked off”?
Those of us who know God, know that we have a God who also knows us … intimately… one that does not enter the “room” with back turned, computer notes in hand, asking previously answered questions, checking us off the list, and moving on. I don’t know how, but I know that my experience is that when I make myself fully present for God, I find that God is fully present with me.
This experience at the doctor’s office reminded me of the importance of being fully present for and with others.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians (2: 1-4) reminds
us…
“If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.”
When have you “turned you back” on another when they just needed you to listen, or been so distracted by the chaos of your routine that you failed to stop and be present with those who were with you in that moment?
For me, it is probably more often than I’d like to admit. But, I’m working on it. You?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 23rd, 2022
No Words…
As I sat down to write this week’s “From the Desk of…” I felt that there were no words… no events… no thoughts… no thing more important than a blank page to represent moments of silence due honoring the victims and families of needless violence both here in the US in the form of one mass shooting after another, and across the world in the form of wars and other atrocities. And so… I encourage you to take the time usually spent reading and pondering this blog and spend time in prayer using the resulting space for those victims and their families…
the bethe best
the best
the best
thr
te
the
the
the
the
the
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 16th, 2022
Do Not Grow Weary
During the summer last year, I watched as more and more bare spots began to appear in my yard. What had seemed strong such a short time before was revealing just how vulnerable it was … to the heat … to the long periods of dry weather … and, to the pests apparently working tirelessly (below ground) to eat the grass’s root system. Each of the silent culprits worked individually, yet surprisingly in tandem, to wreak havoc on what had previously appeared strong and vibrant.
I took advantage of the mild temperatures of Fall and began watering, working the dry hardened ground, laying sod, and overseeding, but the seasonal clock was ticking. I had to hope that these initial steps would create a foundation on which to build in the Spring. At the first sign of mild temperatures, I got to work in every spare moment. I had an opportunity to get fresh top soil from a friend, and my yard needed it badly. The yard was uneven and there were still plenty of bare spots.
It was long and hard work… two truckloads of topsoil, several bags of grass seed, water, fertilizer, grub control, and more water. It might not have seemed quite as labor intensive for someone more used to physical labor (something which my job does not require a lot of on most days), but for me it was exhausting. And, though I was hoping for a “quick return on investment,” I knew deep down that any visible results were weeks, if not months, away.
The same is true of the work we do as followers of Christ. It is difficult to bring hope and encouragement in a world where “silent culprits” such as greed, envy, anger, self-doubt, and divisive issues (to name a few) work individually and collectively to wreak havoc on our relationships with self, others, and God. And, it doesn’t happen overnight. In order to avoid the consequences of those things that would seek to destroy all that is good, we have to respond, intentionally and just as tirelessly, to water (love), to work the dry hard ground (share our witness by living a Christ-like life), to lay sod and overseed (extend compassion), to fertilize (seek understanding), eliminate pests (focus on blessings), and water some more.
As Spring edges toward Summer, I have begun to see the fruits of my labor. The lawn is thickening and it is a vibrant green. The seeds have sprouted and the new roots have intermingled with the old to create a stronger root system. The water (love) is not so easily evaporated, and the grass’s ability to withstand harsh conditions has increased.
Sure, there are still bare spots that need attention. The work is not done. There are more hot days, dry spells, and bugs to come. It is hard work, but it is necessary work if we are to help accomplish Christ’s mission in the places we live and work and play. All around us are people who are looking for hope and encouragement … kindness and compassion … love and acceptance. If we don’t do good, who will?
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone…” Gal. 9:9-10a (NRSVUE)[i]
Blessings,
Blake
[i]
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
For the week of May 9th, 2022
A little over a week ago, my phone rang. It wasn’t the fact that it rang that was so surprising. Rather, it was that the name on the caller ID was someone I hadn’t talked with in some time. I was excited to see the name come up and looked forward to whatever conversation ensued. That’s the way it is with relationships that matter. Of course, it would be better if I always took the time to stay closely connected with those who have had an impact in my life, but having travelled to many areas around the world and having met folks from many walks of life and circumstances… many who touched my life in intentional ways, and some who touched my life without even knowing… the list has grown to an unmanageable size. Perhaps someone better at time management could balance life, work, family, and friends while also maintaining regular contact with everyone from the past, but I haven’t been the best at doing it.
Luckily, there are those relationships and connections that pick up right where they left off when the opportunity arises. This phone call came from one of those connections. It was a colleague and friend who has also worked for the church and knows the importance of the Blessings of Community. He called to tap into not only our connection, but also the connection that occurs naturally across cities, nations, and even continents between members and friends of Community of Christ.
As long as I can remember, I have heard stories of folks who traveled with their church directory … finding comfort in “far away places,” because they knew there was usually a church or a family to whom they could reach out if they found themselves in need. College students studying far from home, military personnel stationed in various places around the world, casual vacationers looking to connect while “on the road.” No where else, outside of natural families, have I heard of such immediate and strong connections with regards to church. Sure, anyone can find a church to attend if they look hard enough … even a church of the same “denomination” as that in which they usually participate. However, few will find an instant sense of being home. That is a gift.
The call was to let me know that a couple, church members, were heading to the Chicago area to get specialized medical treatment for the husband. They would be far from home without connection (family or friends), and my friend wondered if there was anyone with whom I could put them in contact. Of course, there were plenty of people whose contact information I could have shared, but this one I decided to cover on my own.
So often, I get caught up in the administrative paperwork of the church and miss the opportunities for ministry. If not careful, I can get bogged down in the “business” of church and forget to foster relationships. In that moment, I was reminded of the rich blessing and importance of the relationships that had touched my life in my years growing up in the church and eventually working for the church. My life has literally been changed by chance encounters at worship services, witnessing weekends, conferences, reunions, visiting ministry (giving and receiving). And, this recent encounter with new friends has been like a long friendship re-kindled.
We are truly blessed to have such opportunities, both inside and outside the church. May we never be too busy… too bogged down… to invest in relationships. I’ve can’t think of anything better in which to invest.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 2nd, 2022
Words
picture by Chris Blakeley (flickr)
The Apostle Paul, in the 8th chapter of his letter to the Church in Rome, reassures us that, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit[s] intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (vs. 26-27, NRSV) They are words meant to bring comfort and hope in times when there are no words… times when we are hurting, mourning a loss, to angry to speak, or simply caught off guard by unexpected events. I’m glad to know that in those times, God is so aware of our thoughts that we only need to be “present” in the moment and allow the Holy Spirit to do the talking.
But what about those times when we are in conversation with a friend, neighbor, family member, or … worse yet… a complete stranger and the words won’t come, or the opportunity to respond comes and goes before the words can be formed?
Just such an event took place for me earlier this week. I had been called out to visit a family in a hospital to which I had never been. As I got out of my car in the parking garage, a man was walking by. We exchanged a nod and a smile and both continued on our way. As we entered the hospital, he remained a few steps ahead of me.
Because I had never been to this particular hospital, I stopped to ask someone directions to the ICU. From down the hall, I heard the stranger say, “follow me.” I hurried to catch up with him. So I did. As it turned out, it wasn’t far to the main reception desk where were required to check in, but in that short distance, I received a quick lesson regarding the vast number of ICUs from which to choose. As we reached the reception desk, he quickly added, “It’s sad that I know so much about the ICUs here, huh? My son is in one on the fourth floor.” He then told me to go ahead of him because he would be there for a while.
I stopped to thank him, and the receptionist interrupted … asking me to approach the desk so as to keep things moving. I thought that I would get another chance to speak with him. There was so much I wanted to say… to ask. Unfortunately, he was called forward by another receptionist and quickly allowed to pass because he had been there for days. I watched him head down the corridor. Moments later, with my visitor pass in hand, I took off after him. But, as quickly as he had entered my life… he was gone … and so was the opportunity to speak the words of thanks and comfort that I felt were necessary in the moment.
I don’t know if the Holy Spirit speaks to others on our behalf, but I hope so. I was reminded in that moment how important it is that we live and act with kindness toward others. Short of the Holy Spirit’s intercession on our behalf, our actions may be the only “words” that we are able to “speak” … the lasting impression with which those we encounter will be forever left.
May our actions always be “words” of comfort, encouragement, grace, and blessing so that the Holy Spirit has something with which to work on our behalf.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 25th, 2022
Immersed
It’s amazing how quickly one can get caught up in the busy-ness of life. More and more, I find myself looking forward to the coming week with high hopes of all I will get accomplished only to find myself, seemingly a day later, at the end of another week, with unfulfilled tasks and to-do’s. I can honestly say that though I have made and kept personal commitments to myself to do something on a daily basis (devotion, practicing Spanish, etc.), I have sometimes failed to fulfill the length of daily commitment for said tasks… rationalizing why it’s “OK” today if I only give the task 10 minutes instead of the promised 30 minutes to an hour.
All that said, when I am able to commit and follow through… I usually find great blessing in the endeavor. Libbey Delana, in her article, “Walking the Earth,” speaks of holding to a commitment she made, and the ways she has been blessed because of the endeavor…
“Nine years ago, I began my daily walks. My days had become overwhelmed by to-do lists, meetings, driving to and fro, and errands. This wasn’t a desperate problem per se, but it didn’t reflect who I was fully, at my core. I wanted to return to what I felt was essential to me and what I’d had in my younger years: to be immersed in the natural world and to be embraced by the great quiet.
My goal was to walk 30 consecutive days. It was October in New England, whi8ch meant it was dark until 7 a.m. and often could be well below freezing in the morning. I knew I would need discipline on my side, and some days I had it. Other days the space to reflect, the breath of the wind, the wash of the rain, the voice of the birds, the wisdom of the great oaks, and the everyday-ness of a sunrise were strength and guides.
I’d get up at 5 a.m. Boots on, headlamp secured, I’d head out my back door. I mostly walked the same route. Down the same street. Past the same barn. Greeting the same headwind on the way home. I found there can be magic in taking the same route day after day. You think it’s going to be the same, yet it provides a different daily experience – light, weather, temperature, perspective, mood. I would look at the same barn each day but see something entirely different on Wednesday than I had on Monday. It was more than the barn, I was learning how to deeply see and not simply look. Only with the sameness could I see the difference. Then and now, I find it breathtaking how much beauty is around us when we slow down to see it.
Now here I am. Thirty days have become nine years or 3,285 consecutive days. My morning walk is a daily practice of mindfulness, creativity, being present, and deep self-reflection. In many ways, my walk is a radical act of learning and love. Committing to this daily walk, regardless of weather or desire, has grown in me a space for healing, where I can nourish a kind of friendship with myself. I have walked the circumference of the Earth, and in those 25,000 miles, I have never regretted a walk, never. Even on those rainy, cold mornings when I arrive home wet to my core, I am wiser and more grounded for having gone. In fact, it’s often the days that are the most challenging that move me the furthest forward.”[i]
Whether it’s for yourself or for the sake of a relationship with a dear friend, family member, or God, the act of immersing oneself in intentionality often produces amazing results. Maybe you’re not ready to “walk the earth,” but I encourage you to immerse yourself in some practice that will help you find the magic…experience something familiar from an entirely different perspective… find the breathtaking beauty of life around you… or simply engage in deep self-reflection … even if it means getting “wet to the core.”
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Libby DeLana, “Walking the Earth,” in Magnolia Journal, Fall 2021, Volume 6, No. 3, (Des Moines: Meredith Corporation, 2022), 20, 22.
For the week of April 18th, 2022
Write Your Story
pic by Fredrik Rubensson (flickr)
New Year’s is not the only time of the year that we have the opportunity to push “reset”… to start anew … to have a fresh beginning. For instance, we know Spring to be a time of new beginnings and “rebirth as flowers start to bloom and trees begin their budding. Followers of Christ who receive communion/Eucharist see this sacrament as a reset of sorts, and those who understand (even partially) the depth of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, know that each new day brings a fresh opportunity for transformation, new beginnings, and new life. Having just celebrated Easter, that event in the Christian calendar that provides us the hope of resurrection and everlasting life … the promise that God is not yet done, we are again reminded of the hope that there is yet time to join God in making a difference … nurturing new beginnings and new life … in our circles of influence (communities, families, churches, neighborhoods, and the world in general)
In her February 2020 “Letter from the Editor,” Joanna Gaines, captures the sense of hope that is available to all, Christian and non-Christian alike. But for those of us with a connection/relationship with God it takes on special meaning and carries with it expectation and responsibility. She writes…
“Spring restores life and color and warmth to our lives. It’s also the season that most easily persuades us of the endless possibilities that await in a new year.
The thrill that so often accompanies this notion of having a clean slate or an unwritten chapter convinces me that it’s human nature to seek revision and meaning for our lives, to desire that the imprint we leave on this world be significant, to hope that how we use the time we’re given be worthy of the opportunity.
…There have been times when the questions What is my life’s purpose? Has kept me up at night. Mostly because it carries the connotation that if I don’t yet know, then somehow I’m already behind, that I’ve already lost time. It’s also a question that requires a limited answer. It leaves the impression that each of us has only one purpose to call our own. And I can’t help but wonder: Where does that leave those of us without an answer?
Whether a purposeful future for you looks like starting a family, landing your dream job, both, or something entirely different, it’s easy to feel stuck in neutral until you’ve found it. But instead of choosing a mindset that makes it all too easy to live for tomorrow, I believe there is purpose to be found in every season in between.
The gracious reality is that all of us get to write each and every chapter of the story our lives will tell. Even if the hope you have for your one-day future feels just out of reach or a million miles away, take a moment to look around at your present. What is it that thrills you? Around what ideas to your thoughts gravitate? Is there a deep-seated passion waiting to be brought to the surface? Whatever it may be, lean in to it. Discover what lessons it has to teach you. Let it matter right now even if it’s not meant to last forever. Being a good steward of our lives today will matter for who we become tomorrow.”
How will you be a “good steward” of your life and blessings… living into the “gracious reality” of a story written in concert with a God who loves you and calls you by name… into the future, yes, but also in every present moment?[i]
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, “Letter from the Editor,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2020, Volume 5, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Corp., 2020), 12.
For the week of April 11th, 2022
Just in Case
I recently made a trip “home” to the area where I grew up. I made the trip for the primary purpose of spending time with family and helping my mom with her “honey-do list” (in this case… “sonny-do list”). For several reasons, not the least of which was the pandemic, it had been a while since I was able to go for a visit. After a while, phone calls no longer suffice. I was ready to spend some quality time with my mom.
I knew going in that there would be much work to be done… cleaning, sorting, throwing out, landscaping, fixing, repairing, replacing… you know, all the stuff that builds up over time. What mom needed was someone with some “handy-man” skills and the determination to do whatever it took to make things right.
It was time for a transformation… a resurrection of sorts. But first, there would have to be a reckoning and a willingness to let go. Collections (beanie babies, knickknacks, candle sticks, Christmas decorations, and nativities, etc.) filled the shelves of her garage. They were treasured items that had been used over the years to bring joy and beauty to our home… prized possessions that my mom displayed with a sense of pride… in the past. Now, they were items filling shelves … long sense replaced by other items … held on to “just in case.”
How often do we hold on to things (anger, envy, physical possessions, hurts, etc.) “just in case?” Who among us have “shelves” of things we’ve held on to … often long after their value has diminished? Don’t get me wrong, some things have eternal value, and are worth hanging on to. They bring joy or add beauty to our lives and they have a place in our everyday lives. Some things, however, are either toxic or have no real purpose. They only serve to fill space that might otherwise be useful for something more relevant, timely, or necessary. If we hold on to enough of those “space fillers,” the clutter can become overwhelming. We can become bogged down… discouraged… limited.
There comes a point when we too need a transformation … a resurrection of sorts. This week, Holy Week, marks the end of Lent … our time of letting go, cleaning out, making space, being honest with ourselves about the things that have cluttered our lives and our relationships with God. Over the next few days, we will journey in our minds and our hearts to the cross and then to the empty tomb. We will experience again the elation of resurrection and new life. Or will we?
Perhaps there is still a little cleaning that needs to be done. It is important that we take every opportunity to make space in our lives for what God is wanting to do with us and through us and in us. No matter where you’ve been… no matter what you’ve been through (or are going through right now) … no matter how discouraged you may feel because of the pandemic or what’s happening in our world, there is always the hope of transformation and resurrection.
As you look toward Easter and celebrate the resurrection of Christ, know that new life is not confined to Jesus. God desires to lift you up as well… to transform your life. Don’t hold on to things “just in case.” and allow God to fill you with You just need to make space.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘” — Jeremiah 29:11
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 28th, 2022
Overgrown and Misshapen
I really love when I get to do one of my favorite outdoor activities… trimming bushes, trees and the like. I know that there are “rules” and preferred practices (how much to trim, what time of year or season to trim, etc.), but I have my own approach, and it is pretty simple. If a tree or bush has become overgrown or misshapen… if I can’t walk under the tree, or around the bush… it’s time for a trim. With the exception of rose bushes (for which I follow all of the rules because they are typically unforgiving), if I think something needs pruning/trimming, I trim it… sometimes a little and sometimes a lot.
My general philosophy on the matter is: If I don’t like it the way it is, it either needs to be trimmed or replaced. So, if I trim it and it survives… it’s a win/win situation for me and the bush/tree. If I trim it and it dies, it’s at least a win for the local nursery. I figure that way, I end up with something with which I can live and of which I can be proud. So far, I have been pretty lucky, and few if any recipients of my unorthodox pruning methods have suffered.
Who can say why it’s such a “rewarding” activity for me? Some might say that it could be the satisfaction of exercising a little “power and control” over something that can’t argue, challenge or push back. And, although there could be a little truth in that (very little, of course), I think it has more to do with the ability to engage in tending, shaping, nurturing the growth of something with great potential. We are, after all, co-creators with God.
Even though the Lenten season is a time of year when we focus on allowing God to prune those parts of us that have become overgrown and misshapen (pride, envy, impatience, etc.), perhaps we could all do with a little random “pruning” … a “cutting away” or trimming of those things that keep us from reaching our true potential as the Body of Christ. I know I can.
In the 15th chapter of the Gospel According to John, Jesus is recorded to have said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit.” (vs. 2-3, NRSV)
When we allow God to remove those overgrown and misshapen parts from us, we are able to produce more, and in some cases better, fruit. I may not know (or follow) the proper “rules” of pruning. I may have just been lucky in the past, but God is always aware of the right time, and the right season to help us shed the unwanted “branches” from our lives that will allow us to become all that God has created us to become.
Are you willing to place the pruning shears in God’s hands? Do you trust God to tend and shape and nurture you when you need it, where you need it, and how much you need it? Who better to trim the vine than the one who created it?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 21st, 2022
Recipes and Old Friends
pic by litlnemo on flickr
Do you have a favorite “family” recipe that has been passed down through the generations? Is there a favorite dish or desert that you knew your grandmother would always have when you came to visit… one that you could count or that brought you comfort? I wonder if the grandmothers of today and tomorrow will have that same “touch” in the kitchen. The art of scratch cooking and baking has become a distant memory. But oh … the memories.
I don’t know about your grandmother, but mine didn’t use recipes. When asked how to make something, she would say… “Well, I put a little bit of this and a pinch of that …“ I don’t think she owned measuring spoons/cups. Consequently, even those recipes that were passed down are never quite the same without her special touch and her innate ability to season the meals with just the right amount of love.
Sharing a story told to her by Becki Shepherd, McGee Nall writes…
“For as much time as she spent in her kitchen, [my grandmother] would not have considered herself a chef. But we don’t herald ‘grandmother’s cooking’ because it’s fancy or grand. It becomes ingrained in our memories because there, beneath the surface of her meals, magic was happening. The way her heart showed through the movement of her hands, kneading, chopping, and stirring. How her worn and sauce-stained recipes seemed like old friends.”
“When recipes are passed down, it’s about much more than food. It’s offering a connection to who we are, where we come from, and the people who help shape us.”[i]
Our faith communities and their traditions are much like our grandmother’s kitchens and her recipes. Emanating warmth and backed up by hard work… filled with ingredients and/or people that bring a smile to our face and a sense of peace to our hearts. They are places and treasures around which lasting memories are made … memories that serve to lift us in difficult times, bring comfort to us in moments of loneliness, hold us together in the midst of divisive issues, remind us of a God who loves us unconditionally and is always ready to add “a little bit of this or a pinch of that” when needed.
Regardless of whether it is grandma’s passed down recipes, time spent in grandma’s kitchen, or time spent in faith community… whether love is expressed in words or through familiar smells and favorite foods … whether our recipes are worn and sauce-stained or hot off the press, we are all in need of the kind of comfort and assurance found in such places and treasures… in memories.
Lucky for us, God’s love is not a distant memory, but rather a very present reality… even for those who feel they don’t deserve it. God still has the same “touch” (not just in the kitchen), and has given us “recipes” to pass down … to share with the world.
May our hearts show through the movement of our lives … kneading, chopping, stirring. And, may our “recipes” … even the worn and sauce-stained ones … seem like “old friends” to those in need.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] McGee Nall, “Nurtured for Generations,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, Volume 7, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation, 2022), 20-22.
For the week of March 14th, 2022
Life’s Wheel
Original pic public domain image from Wikimedia Commons
What makes us who we are? Some believe that God determined what we would become before we were born, and it is only a matter of time before we become what God has intended. For me, it’s a little more complicated than that. Yes, God created us and gifted us and knows what we can become. But God has also given us our agency… the ability to choose for ourselves. And, not only us, but all that God has created. Our life experiences inform, influence, shape and sometimes redirect our path and, as a consequence, inform, influence, shape, and sometimes redirect who we become.
In an introduction to a series of personal stories of “becoming,” Nicole Ziza Bauer and Charis Dietz write, “We can’t always see our own formation when it’s taking place – we’re clay on life’s wheel, unable to predict the forces that will shape us. But time does always tell. Then we are able to look back and see how the demanding moments and shattering seasons were stretching and softening us. How the moment when everything collapsed wasn’t actually the end but, in fact, signaled a new beginning. That the strongest parts of our foundation – the pieces that hold us together—are thanks to the force of the wheel. And we have become who we are because of it.”[i]
If you have ever worked with a potter’s wheel, you know that the force of the wheel plays a significant role in the formation of a finished piece of pottery. Left to its own forces (without the hands of the potter to reposition, reform, and redirect) the clay can become decentered, misshaped, off balance, and even unrecognizable. The important thing to note, however, is that none of those actions change the essence of the clay. Regardless of its shape, it is still clay… made of the same elements with which it was originally created.
Until the clay has been “fired” in a kiln, it has the ability to be reshaped. Even then, the clay is still clay. Though it takes some work, the fired clay can be returned to its prior state (with the exception of a little dye or glaze added somewhere along the way). Then, with the help of a skilled potter, it can take on a new shape… perhaps even that intended from the beginning.
My point is this… although we are subject to the force of life’s wheel, we have the promise of another power in this world to help us achieve our intended purpose … to become all that we have been created to be …
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Thankfully, in our life and relationship with God, we are not subject to “the wheel” alone. We have choices. And we have a skilled potter who has promised to never leave us.
And, if that’s not enough, the potter that walks with us is not dissuaded by the “dye and glaze” that has been added in those times when we have tried to go it alone or when we have given in to the wheel. The “strongest parts of our foundation” are those which God has given us.
Through God’s grace, we are made new and freed to “become” in spite of the force of life’s wheel.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Nicole Ziza Bauer and Charis Dietz, “The Way We Become,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, Volume 7, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation, 2022), 78.
For the week of March 7, 2022
The Kingdom of God
is Like a Greenhouse
“Evoking a sense of magic, a greenhouse has the power to transport us millions of miles away, just by our stepping through the door. Built to harness sunlight and capture its heat, greenhouses can create a climate entirely different from what exists outside their walls, unlocking the possibility of cultivating plants you might otherwise only dream of seeing. When the conditions are right, anything – exotic orchids, prickly cacti, or a lush, tropical paradise – can be within reach.”[i]
As I read these words, I couldn’t help but think how it could serve as an adequate metaphor for the church and even the “Peaceable Kingdom” on earth… a place that “has the power to transport us… just by stepping through the door” … that “can create a climate entirely different from what exists outside [its] walls” … and that unlocks “the possibility of cultivating ‘plants’ (ideas, people, ways of living, sacred community) you might otherwise only dream of seeing.” Doesn’t that sound like something in line with Christ’s mission as found in Luke 4:18-18 (also Isaiah 61:1-2).
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (NRSV)
I believe it does, but I also believe that it can’t just me a metaphor for our churches. In order for us to truly be a part of Christ’s mission in this torn and broken world, we need to make this a metaphor for our very lives. Not everyone will walk into our church buildings … no matter how hard we try, but countless hundreds, if not thousands of people will enter… pass through, walk by, or observe from a distance … our lives. The question is whether or not in that chance encounter or extended interaction, will they experience the light we have “harnessed” or the warmth we have “captured” in our ongoing relationship with God through Christ? Will our actions and words unlock possibilities within others so that they may be cultivated for the glory of God and the reconciliation of the world to God?
We often think that we don’t have the power within ourselves to create such an environment. Most of the encounters we have with other people last only for a moment in time. How much could possibly be accomplished in a passing moment? Well… if a greenhouse has the power to transport someone a million miles away (even if only in their imagination) just by stepping through its doors … who knows what “stepping into” our lives might be able to accomplish if we are fulfilling our purpose.
Do people experience the warmth of God’s love when they step through your “doors”?
I believe that the Kingdom of God is like a greenhouse. Is your life a greenhouse?
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Johanna Silver, “house of dreams,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, Volume 7, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation, 2022), 45.
For the week of February 28th, 2022
Lean In
Today is the first day of the Lenten season. Although observance of Lent has not always been in the forefront of my faith tradition (it is now), it has always been a part of the faith tradition I share with my wife and my children. Yesterday, I received a text from one of my daughters asking, “What are you going to do for Lent?” She didn’t ask what I was going to “give up,” but rather what I was going to “do.”
I realized in that moment that she understood what I had not understood for so many years. I saw Lent as a time to give up something or to do without. The sacrifice was done in an effort to “make room” for God. The idea was that every time thought about that which I had chosen to avoid, I would instead be reminded to focus on God. So, depending on the year and my “go to” at the time, I would give up things like pop, chocolate, deserts. I quit drinking pop altogether (with a rare exception) about 16 years ago, and I have greatly reduced my intake of sweets. Both of which were for health reasons … not because the Lenten practice had ultimately changed my life, my habits, or my thinking.
It took me many years to recognize that doing without something only served as a “punishment” of sorts for me. Sure, it was good for my health while it lasted, but my focus was often on the number of days remaining in my “fast,” and not always on God. I needed to find a way to change my focus.
Imagine my surprise when someone suggested that it was also acceptable to “add” something to your life… as long as that something is not another bad habit, of course. That “something” might be an intentional spiritual practice that brings you into closer relationship with God, or daily acts of kindness towards others that are a reflection of your deepening relationship with God and your understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ… to live in a more Christ-like manner.
Another option to consider during this Lenten season is to find that which give you life and focus some of your attention there. Writing on the subject and importance of nurture (not Lent), Joanna Gaines says,
“For me, it always goes back to a well that runs deep… I found myself… unbalanced by how much I was pouring out without being poured into in ways I really needed… So I got curious. But not about what new thing I could add to my life or another cheap distraction that would only become redundant. I considered what I’m already drawn to, what I already know wakes me up and brings me life – nature, the garden, being in my kitchen, and the peace that meets me there – and I leaned in. For weeks, I pored over books, threw my hands into the soil … for the first time in a long time I felt full, truly full. And at the end of those days, I was bursting with so much more to give.”[i]
These words ring true for those who observe Lent as well. Yes, Lent is a time of self-reflection… a time of repentance and forgiveness … a time of remembering Christ’s sacrifice. It is seen as a time of emptying ourselves of all the bad stuff in our lives, but it is also a time for acknowledging those things that wake us up… give us life … have the power to “resurrect” us and fill us so that we have the strength, courage, energy and will to fulfill Christ’s mission.
However you choose to observe Lent, it is my prayer that you will find what you need to fill you… to wake you up … to give you life. And, once you find it, I pray you will “lean in.”
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, “a note from Jo on nurture,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, Volume 7, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation, 2022), 53.
For the week of February 21st, 2022
Creating a Place
photo by Jo Zimny Photos on flickr.com
“Nothing here relies on shine or perfection. This isn’t a room that will break apart or rock under your feet. It’s a place you can settle in, curl up against, rub shoulders with. And if you happen to chip a plate or drag a chair across the floor, it will forgive you. Nothing is sacred – and this is why it is”[i] … [sacred].
Everything here seems to rely on shine or perfection. This is a room that will break apart or rock under your feet. It’s a place in which to watch your actions, sit up straight, and be careful not to show your “weak” side. And if you happen to break a rule or do something worthy of judgement, beg for forgiveness. Everything is sacred – and that is why it [sometimes] isn’t … sacred.
Two sets of statements… one has nothing to do with church, but (at least in the hearts of some) ought to, and the other often does, but shouldn’t. One describes a place where people can let their hair down and be themselves, and the other a place where folks put on masks of perfection for all to see. One where all are welcome, and the other where “All are Welcome” is something that looks good on a sign… outside.
As people make their way back to public places (especially churches), we need to decide which kind of “place” we want to create… to offer … to be… not only in the church but in our daily lives as disciples.
The truth is that the opening set of statements is the teaser for an article found in the Spring 2022 issue of Magnolia Journal. The article itself is about creating spaces that draw people in. Here are some other excerpts from the article:
[Rooms that invite] don’t show off or over-announce themselves. They don’t make us wonder where we can set a cup of tea or prop our feet. They speak ease and invitation. A worn velvet couch ready for after-dinner lounging. A bowl of fruit set out for the picking … A candle lit. Bread on the board. Aromatic soap on the sill net to a brush that you know will feel good in your hands …
A place can be controlling or it can nurture. It can make us hesitate at the threshold or it can envelop our senses with one glance. And all of us can create these places if we want them. You don’t have to be a fine artist or famed designer…
… let your instincts lead you. Trade something hard for something soft. Put something organic and alive in full view. Bring in an heirloom or something you thrifted, and let it sit right next to something new and grand. Create little scenes that draw interaction: a book offered for reading, a pitcher of water and glasses ready on a tray, a linen pillow ready to lean against. Create with an abundant, open heart. Because if it feels like a place that holds you, it will feel like a place that can hold others.[ii]
How might the Gospel be received from persons and in places that put off a welcoming, forgiving… even comfortable… vibe? What if those who came to “visit” didn’t feel the need to walk on eggshells, exude perfection, or have it all together? What if any of us who “chipped a plate” or “drug a chair across the floor” found forgiveness… from each other (If God can do it, we ought to at least try!)? What if we lived our lives as if no “thing” was sacred, and that is because everything is sacred?
Sounds like a place that could hold me! How about you?
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Helen Parker, “Invited to Stay: Rooms That Draw You In,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022, Volume 7, No. 1, (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation, 2022), 29.
[ii] Ibid, 30.
For the week of February 14th, 2022
Origin Story
Have you seen it yet? Are there already signs of new life popping up in unexpected places? Depending on where you live, you may already be seeing signs of spring. For those of us in the Midwest, that day is still some time in the future. But… we know it’s coming! Like the Psalmist, our faith allows us to…
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:4-5, NRSV
No matter how cold it gets, no matter how dreary the short days and long nights, no matter how long we wait (not ever so patiently) for the pandemic to let go of its hold on us, no matter what struggles we experience in life, “winter” eventually ends, and spring takes root.
I am always looking for inspiration… moments where God is present in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. For me, it is most often in the ordinary…the kind gesture of a stranger, the hidden message in a movie or song, the gentle blowing of the breeze on a warm afternoon, or the unexpected beauty of a landscape. Sometimes, it comes in a “letter from the editor” in a magazine. The following is an excerpt from Joanna Gaines’ letter in the Spring 2022 edition of Magnolia Journal:[i]
The first green shoot of the year sets the world in motion. We watch life return to all that once lay bare as nature starts showing off a confetti of colors—the air bright with possibility. This is the greatest gift that spring offers our hearts and minds—it reminds us that we can begin again. Because every spring is an origin story, an invitation to nurture all the good that has already taken root.
Whether it’s the bud of a tulip we planted the fall before or one of the earliest crops breaking through the soil, that first sign of new life in the garden shifts my attention to the season now at hand. No matter how long or cold the winter has been, a new chapter is here.
Though this moment tends to come about suddenly, I like to think it doesn’t have to pass quickly. That with some intention and consideration, we can harness its hope and strength to then nourish the parts of our own life that might be craving their own fresh start-a chance to spend a moment or two in the light and warmth and promise of spring.
I imagine these words (this letter) were intended to be thought provoking and inspirational, but I have no idea if they were intended for the readers’ spiritual journey with the God of any particular religion or set of beliefs. Regardless of their intent, however, they are reflective of how God works in all of creation. Like a tulip bulb planted in fall, we are given the chance to experience spring (new birth, new life, a fresh start). Even more exciting, this gift isn’t available to us only one season out of the year. It is available to us every day of our lives if we will only open ourselves to receive it, to nurture it, to allow it to grow. “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)… they are blessed with the opportunity to write a new “origin story” every day through the grace and mercy of our loving God.
What seed has God planted in you over the last days, weeks, or months? What “origin story” is waiting to come to life in and through you today? What “confetti of colors” has God given you with which to brighten the air with possibility?
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Joanna Gaines, ed., “a letter from the editor,” in Magnolia Journal, Spring 2022 edition. (Des Moines: Meredith Operations Corporation), 10.
For the week of February 7th, 2022
And Yet, They Linger
How often do you set things down and then forget where you put them? How many items have been “put down” never to be seen again? If I were to be asked that question myself, I would be hard pressed to give an accurate answer. In reality, it seems to be a more prominent issue with each passing day.
The item I find hardest to keep up with these days is my reading glasses. Somewhere, in some unknown place, there are at least a dozen pairs of reading glasses that have gone unclaimed. Most of them are probably somewhere at home. Luckily, I purchase them at the Dollar Store so I’m not out a lot of money. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to keep track of them. Once I put them down, there is a 90% plus chance that they are gone for good.
Why is it, then, there are things in our lives that we try and “put down,” that just won’t go away. There are no tracking devices needed to find them… no couch cushions deep enough in which they can be lost…no distance seemingly far enough to separate us from them… and no amount of time long enough to remove them from our thoughts. I’m talking about long held grudges and hurts, feelings of envy or anger, and the like.
Why does it take only five minutes to forget where we put our keys or our reading glasses, but we can’t forget the things that keep us from loving each other? How is it that we can so easily set aside relationships, but we can’t “put down” the things that keep those relationships from being healed and reconciled?
We write them on paper and dissolve them in water… and yet they linger. We put them in fires and hope they float away with the ash… and yet they linger. We say we give them to God in a wholehearted effort to free ourselves from them… and yet they linger. If we’re not careful, they weigh us down and rob us of the abundant joyous life that God intends for us. We know this, and yet, they linger.
If you have something in your life that is taking up unnecessary space… something keeping you from experiencing the abundant life and relationships God desires for you … something eating away at your very core … something you just can’t “lose” no matter how hard you try … simply putting it down and walking away may not be the answer. It probably won’t disappear in the smoke of a campfire or a bowl of water (though those things may provide some temporary relief).
With things that have caused us pain and suffering, letting go and/or putting down requires intentional work on our part. It requires forgiveness. It requires humility. It requires a love and an abundance of grace. All of which are possible with God…
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (2 Cor 5:18-19, NRSV)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of January 31st, 2022
Be the Salt
Often when we Christians here the phrase, “be the salt,” we are reminded of the passage from near the beginning of the sermon on the Mount found in the Gospel of Matthew… specifically verse 13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” From that, one might gather that salt’s only justifiable purpose is to “add to,” “season,” “give ‘flavor’… in this instance, to the spreading of the Gospel and the building of the Peaceable Kingdom of God. Perhaps it is true with regards to the gospel. As with food, a bland presentation does not pique the interest of many.
That said, I had an interesting epiphany this afternoon as I cleared the driveway and sidewalks of the snow that had fallen over the last several hours. When the snow had been removed, I began to spread salt on the freshly plowed areas where some ice and snow still remained. Perhaps there is some value for salt in places where it is “trampled under foot” after all!
The thing about our world today is that literal snow and ice are not the only things in need of thawing. As the pandemic lingers on, political tensions rise, hate crimes continue to escalate, families divide over a variety of issues, and even churches struggle with internal disagreements, relationships are more and more in danger of “freezing.” Disgruntled people are choosing to disengage from community or to form new communities with those who share their anger, distrust, paranoia, and frustration. This is not the kind of community which the Gospel offers or promises. We must find a way to thaw the ice before it gets too thick. Is it ironic that the very divisions that cause the freezing of relationships also play into the issue of global warming where lowering temperatures would literally be life-saving?
There is one thing to note about the process of melting ice with salt. Believe it or not, melting ice is actually colder than solid ice. I learned this as a child making homemade ice cream in a churn…layering ice and salt around the canister to lower the temperature and hasten the freezing process. The reality is that a similar “cooling” process is likely as we attempt to use the salt (promises) of the gospel to melt away the “ice” of broken or divided relationships. There is typically a “chilling” effect, caused by built up suspicion and distrust, that must take place before the ice goes away.
It takes time and attention and patience. It takes love and compassion and understanding. It takes just the right amount of “salt.” It takes the right kind of salt!
Maybe your salt isn’t meant for seasoning. Maybe your salt was meant to be a thawing agent for a world in need. Will you “be the salt?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of January 24th, 2022
It’s Contagious
Picture by Nathanael Bakare (Wikimedia Commons)
It started off as just another day. I had a couple of stops to make on my way to pack food bags for families served by our Packs for Pals program… which, by the way is its own source of joy… knowing that children and their families will have food on their table each weekend. But on this particular day, I got an extra, unexpected, dose of joy.
We’ve all heard “pay it forward” stories. Perhaps you’ve even taken the opportunity to pay for the person’s order in the car behind you when going through your favorite fast food or “fast coffee” drive through. Maybe you’ve been the recipient of someone else’s generosity in that same line.
Well… while making my stops on this particular morning, I found myself behind a young man in a checkout line who had apparently forgotten his wallet in the car. Obviously embarrassed by the missing wallet, he looked back and forth between the cashier (for permission) and me (for forgiveness) to run to his car and retrieve the wallet. Having done that myself on more than one occasion, he wasn’t going to get anything but patience and grace from me. And so off he ran.
Meanwhile, the cashier placed the young man’s item aside and rang my items instead. I thought for a second, looked to see if the guy had re-entered the store, then turned to the cashier and asked him to charge the item to my bill. I would pay for it. The young man returned just as I was being handed my receipt. I turned to him and told him to have a nice day and then quickly headed to the door. Just as I was passing through the door, I heard a very confused but enthusiastic, “HE DID WHAT?” I didn’t turn to look. I just continued to my car. I wasn’t looking for thanks or recognition, it just seemed like a cool thing to do in the moment.
As I backed my car out of the parking spot, I did turn to look back at the store. And… there in the store window was the young man waving frantically with a big smile on his face. It was joy one might associate with having picked the winning lottery numbers on a mega million drawing. (For the older ones among us…it’s like having Ed McMahon show up at your door with a huge Publisher’s Clearing House check). The reality was that the item was under five dollars. The original “gift” was more about the gesture than the expense.
In the end, the real gift was not the item purchased in a store, it was the joy expressed by the young man in response to a simple kindness. His joy was contagious. Not only did it infect (and affect) me for the rest of the day… (several times throughout the day, I found myself smiling in response to that contagious joy)…in that brief glance back towards the store, I saw the cashier standing close by and he too had a big smile across his face. I can only imagine how many others might have been equally affected as a result.
What brings you joy? How might you share a little of that joy with someone else today? If the “joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10), then the pure joy of my sisters/brothers (and complete strangers) is at least food for my soul!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of January 17th, 2022
Priceless
I have always had a love for things made of wood. There is something about the natural beauty when something is made of wood. Perhaps that’s the reason I have always loved antiques… especially old tools with aging wood handles, wooden boxes held together with dovetail joints rather than bulky hardware, and simple (creative) children’s toys made of a little wood and a lot of imagination.
Because of my love for things made of wood, I have also enjoyed more than one craft show where skilled individuals have displayed their wares for all to see. However, until recently, I always thought the prices on those hand-crafted items seemed a bit steep. In my naivete, I looked on those things and thought… “I could make that a lot cheaper, and if not, I could certainly by it for cheaper somewhere else.” Though I thought that many of the displayed items required incredible skill, I never fully appreciated the value of the process (and time) involved in taking a block of rough indiscriminate wood and turning it into a beautiful work of art… until recently… when I took on the task of making a customized hanging chess board for a member of the family.
The cost of the materials for the chess board was very reasonable. It was well within the established limits for the annual family gift swap. The problem was, I wasn’t giving my nephew a box of materials. I had to take those materials and transform them into something that was worth displaying and using. Suffice it to say that I lost count of how many hours I spent planning, cutting, gluing, sanding, and sanding again… and then sanding some more. Then, when all appeared to be done, there was still the process of oiling the wood to bring out its natural beauty. It wasn’t long before I began to understand why the artisans at the shows placed such a high value on their finished pieces. No price could fully compensate the artisan for the time, love, care and patience needed to create each piece.
The same is true for us. Yes, that includes you! Psalm 139 (one of my favorites) says in verses 13-16…
“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.”
Have you ever looked in the mirror and second guessed the price tag (value) that God has placed on you? Have you ever wondered if God could have done better… or that you could be easily replaced by something (someone) “bought” somewhere else?
Imagine for a minute how much love God has for you… a creation made with the utmost love, care and patience. If you think you have a reason to doubt your value, try making something by hand from raw materials. And, don’t just throw it together. Take time to engage each tedious step of the process to make it something you’d be proud to share with someone else…even if it takes an extra bit of sanding to smooth out the rough spots. Then, you’ll have an idea of just how highly valued you are in the eyes of the artisan who created you. Without a doubt, You are priceless!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of January 10th, 2022
Still Worth It
In the nearly six years that I have been writing this weekly blog, I have rarely felt so compelled to re-post a previous blog as I do this week. Just like the snow and ice of winter, which last for a couple of months, but feel as if they last an eternity… we still have the pandemic looming over our lives. While some have moved on… letting down their guard and attempting to return to “normal,” others have dug in deeper… following safety protocols to the letter and sometimes going beyond. Feelings and emotions range from carefree to deep anxiety. Needless to say, we are all experiencing exhaustion, mental fatigue, and frustration. Patience is running thin, and tolerance levels are at a breaking point. Relationships are teetering on the edge of destruction because we’ve all had “enough.”
Here’s the thing, I believe that what we’ve had enough of is the pandemic, and it’s making us think that we’ve had enough of each other. It’s making us believe that separation is our new way of being, and we just have to accept it. But I don’t agree! When the pandemic… the seemingly eternal snow and ice… that has made our world hard to navigate finally “melts” and we enter a new season, we will still be here… needing each other … longing for community … wanting to heal. So… I offer the following reminder. I wrote it, “Chipping Away at the Ice,” on this same week one year ago…
The last several weeks have brought a mixture of ice, rain, and snow…often within the same day. And, due to a number of circumstances (not excluding the ongoing weather patterns) we were unable to keep the driveway plowed/cleared. Those who have experienced snow and ice-covered driveways would know that driving over packed snow only makes things worse. What starts as a bothersome ice/snow mix quickly becomes hard impenetrable ice as passing tires temporarily melt the snow only for it to re-freeze harder than ever. Needless to say, when I finally got to the work of clearing the driveway, the task was not easy. As a matter of fact, there were parts of the ice pack that actually required the assistance of a sledge hammer to remove.
What might have taken thirty minutes to complete, now took hours. It took persistent work and determination, but waiting on some day in the unknown future for the ice to melt was not an option.
In the days since we cleared the ice, I have wondered how often we allow a similar buildup of “ice” or “stone” to take place in our hearts with regards to those who have hurt us or with whom we have had a disagreement.
Like the driveway in the midst of a snow/ice storm, our hearts become covered in something that grows more impenetrable with each passing “tire”… with each passing day. Unfortunately, unlike a driveway which must be used on a daily basis, and therefore ultimately requires a clearing, it is tempting to leave behind hurts and relationships that seem impenetrable. It seems easier to simply find another path forward.
We live in a world where we have been led to believe that hard work and determination, in reference to relationships, is often not worth the effort. There are, of course, “plenty of fish in the sea.” If we have a disagreement with a colleague at work, we can just quit and find another job. If we have a fall out with a friend, we can just walk away and find another.
What had formed on our driveway had become dangerous. So…we began chipping away at the ice. What begins to happen in our hearts when we allow small things to build up is also dangerous. It breeds distrust, resentment, anger, and ultimately… apathy. Yes, there are times when repeating patterns of behavior build the “ice” quicker than others, and there are also times when life gets in the way of the regular maintenance needed to keep the pathway clear.
Tension has been building in our country and in our world. For some, it has always been there, for some it seems to be something new. Whichever the case, we need to “chip away at the ice” before it gets too thick and the way seems hopeless. Relationships matter. Close friendships and sacred community are too important to allow to become too much work.
Wherever possible, don’t allow the ice to get so thick that you are tempted to find another path… chip away at the ice along the way. If, however, you have a relationship in your life that is beyond “maintenance level clearing”… by all means, get out the sledge hammer. There is great satisfaction to be found in breaking through the ice and clearing the way for safe passage and healing.
It may not seem like it right now, but it’s [STILL] definitely worth the effort.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of January 3rd, 2022
Cured
Picture by William Warby on Flickr
During the recent holiday season, I had a little extra time on my hands and decided to really immerse myself in a hobby I have wanted to start for some time… woodworking. In the midst of connecting with that hobby, I developed a new love for making things on a wood lathe. Imagine my excitement when I found out that a family member had several hardwood trees cut down, and that the nicely cut wood was still in her yard awaiting a new home. Where others might have seen fire wood or yard waste, I was seeing wood bowls, and unique gifts waiting to be turned.
Not so fast! Upon consulting with a friend who has worked with a lathe for many years, I found that although there are some woodworkers who like to work with live (“green”) wood, it is better to allow the wood to properly “cure” (dry evenly and harden) before using it in woodworking projects…a process that takes an average of one year per inch of wood thickness. Shaping the wood before it is ready can result in cracking, splitting and warping. No bowls were going to be coming out of those logs for 8-10 years. Still, I grabbed a couple to put in the corner of my workshop to sit and dry out. Someday…maybe… the wood will find it’s way onto the lathe and be transformed into some amazing gifts.
This whole encounter got me to thinking about our journey as disciples of Jesus…Followers of the Way. In a tree’s early years it, like us, is pliable. Depending on things like where it is planted in relation to the sun, how it is trimmed and shaped, whether or not stakes with guidewires are used to direct its growth, a tree might become anything from a perfectly shaped bonsai to a gangly, seemingly out of control tower of leaf production. Nevertheless, though the tools needed to shape it change as it ages and dries, it remains pliable. In most cases, it can be made into something new. I am reminded here of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, (If you haven’t read it, it’s worth checking out.) Even when the giving tree seemed that it had no further use, it could still serve as place for the “boy” to sit and rest.
Is our journey with Christ the same as the journey of the tree…or the logs waiting in my shop? Do we remain pliable no matter how long we sit “in the corner of the shop to sit and dry,” or do we simply become dry and hardened? I have found that when a person’s relationship with God, individually and/or corporately is left attended, it is their heart that is in danger of becoming dry and hardened. If they are not careful, their ability to be shaped into something new … something shaped by God to be given as a gift from God to others … could be lost. Left alone too long, no tool (lathe) … no matter how sharp the blade … would be able to reshape them without cracking, splitting, or warping.
I don’t often make New Year’s resolutions, but I will make doubly sure not to let my relationship with God sit in the corner unattended. I want to remain pliable…open to what God is doing in and around me… being shaped into something new… moving toward the Peaceful One… Jesus Christ. Wood may need to “cure” before being reshaped, but if “curing” requires hardening, I don’t want to be cured. How about you?
“Soften my heart Lord!”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec 22nd, 2021
Merry Christmas!
Dear “From the Desk of…” Readers,
I wanted to take this week to wish you a very Merry Christmas! To those who celebrate Kwanzaa or Las Posadas during this season, I also wish you the very best. Whether you are celebrating Jesus’ birth, reconnecting with your cultural heritage, or honoring Mary’s nine months of pregnancy, I pray that you will experience something new being born in your life, in the lives of those you love, and in your communities. If, by chance, you are reading this, and you don’t celebrate any of those things listed, I hope that you will still find hope and joy in meaningful ways amongst family and friends.
I hope that “From the Desk of …” has brought you moments of joy, encouragement, and even challenge. I also hope that as I share my weekly reflections of how I see God in new and exciting ways as well as in regular every day encounters, you too have been able to find ways in which God has been present and at work in your life.
I love the idea encompassed in the phrase “something new is being born.” For those who identify as Christian, the hope of that “new birth” is at the very heart of this season…or at least it should be. That said, in writing this weekly blog, I am constantly reminded of the ways in which something new is truly being born every day… often in unexpected ways. The really good news is that with God, we can all experience that something … in our hearts, in our relationships, in our communities, and even in our world. It is my firm belief that God desires that all of creation experience joy, hope, love, peace, justice and wholeness.
Wherever you find yourself on your journey with God this season, it is my prayer that you will know that you are not alone… and that you are loved. I also pray that you are able open your heart, eyes, and spirit to receive the fullness of God’s blessings in your life as that “something new” is being born in you!
After the angels had shared the good news of Christ’s birth with the shepherds on that night long ago, they turned to one another and said, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15b). May we also go to the places where something new is being born of God… where the Spirit of the Living Christ is coming to life in and through the lives of others, and may we “make known what has been told to us.” (Luke 2:17 adapted).
Blessings for a very Merry Christmas!
Blake
For the week of Dec 13th, 2021
There IS Something
As Christmas approaches, we see more and more decorations… hear more and more carols and Christmas songs… take long drives through neighborhoods admiring the bright creativity … and, scramble around finding the perfect gifs for each person on our lists. In those moments, it would seem that all was well… all the time… that joy was a way of life … that smiles, laughter, song and bright colored lights were the norm.
As a child, I remember all of the excitement that surrounded the holidays. We knew there would be baked goods and favorite dishes that we had not had all year. We would get together with family that we most likely had not seen since last Christmas…playing with cousins who lived across town, but might as well have lived in another country. We set out decorations that reminded us of “the reason for the season” (yes, I’m talking about the nativity… not the Christmas tree!). Even though it was only for a season… for that season, the trimmings brought joy and laughter and lights and generosity.
I realize that I had it pretty good as a child. In my family, joy, love, and laughter was not just seasonal, it was the norm. Even after the cookies and cakes had been eaten, the decorations packed away, and the music in the house changed (we all went back to our individual favorites), there was always love and something new to bring joy. Oh, to be a child again.
As an adult, I am less able to overlook the reality that all is not joy, love, laughter and song. Actual reality offers up constant reminders of war, greed, oppression, exclusion, division, death, loss, illness … and on and on. This week, I was praying especially for those who had experienced loss in the last year (loss of dignity, loss of job, loss of loved ones, loss of security, etc.), and I was acutely aware of how precious moments of true joy really are. Especially the kind of joy that God desires for each of us… the kind of pure joy that comes when something new and special is begin born.
That joy (or the absence of it in the case of those who are grieving over some significant loss in their lives) can make all the difference in how we see the world and how open we are to something new. In moments where grieving takes the place of joy, it would seem that there are not enough cookies and cakes, decorations and music, joy and laughter, to bring us out of the darkness. But what if there WAS something? Something or someone to bring light… to offer hope… to extract joy… even from the darkness.
For instance, every day, when our dogs get up in the morning, our little Pekingese comes pushing out of his kennel with great enthusiasm. He bounds up the stairs … out of the dark basement and into the light. When the back door is opened, he races across the deck and launches into the air as he makes his way toward the grass. One might attribute that to him being a rambunctious puppy or a dog simply anxious to “do his business.” The fact is, he is not a puppy (he’s 10) and he never seems in a hurry to go potty. Rather, he runs around the yard, sniffing and exploring… fully expectant that the new day will bring something new and exciting because he has experienced joy here before.
I am not suggesting here that you ought to run out in the yard each day, sniffing and exploring with reckless abandon. I’m certainly not suggesting that you hurry out into your yard to “do your business.” What I am suggesting is that you (and I) remember the pure joy that God has promised for our lives, and that we have no doubt experienced in some way before…even if in small measure.
In these days leading up to Christmas, whether you find yourself decorating, baking cookies, and singing carols, or grieving loss, reminiscing about what used to be, and longing for a seemingly unattainable sense of joy, know this… something new is about to be born.
“… there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish…The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:1a, 2, 6
There IS something!
There is something!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec 6th, 2021
These Ones?
pic by: Figgles1 on Flickr
I started my day today with a text from a friend. The text included a link to a social media clip that was both timely and, I thought, very funny. I say “I thought” because I realize that everyone doesn’t have my sense of humor. Essentially the clip was of a woman (it is also important to note that she was southern…which you’ll pick up in the dialogue below) having a phone conversation with God in which she says to God, “Listen…when you said ‘Love thy neighbor’… you didn’t mean these ones… these people down here… (pause) … you did…oh … Honey, some of these people are awful… (pause) … what’s that… created in your image… you’ll sort it out later…”. The clip ends with the woman saying, “OK God, I’ll love them, but I’m going to complain about it the whole time… you need to know that!”[1]
Sound familiar? First, we want to be able to pick and choose the ones we want to love. If and when we do “give in” and try to love the unlovable, we grumble and complain about it… the whole time. Maybe you’re better than I am, but, if I’m being honest, I’ve been guilty of doing it. It’s as if rationalizing loving the other will somehow make it OK… make us feel like we’re doing something special… something charitable for the otherwise unlovable. And, in the end, we can pat ourselves on the back and let everyone know how “Christian” we are.
In the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 5, verses 43-48, we read:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Although hostilities have always existed around the globe, we seem to be living in a time where “enemies” abound. Not only have our means of communication and instant access to information via television, and radio moved our global neighbors into our living rooms and other private spaces, our communities have become (blessedly) more diverse. In addition to that, tensions and divisions between families and otherwise close friends have surfaced in the face of current issues (politics, religion, race, gender-identity… to name just a few).
We must remember that those who look different from us, act different than us, see life differently than us, understand God differently that us are not inherently our enemies. They too are children of God… created in God’s image. (God’s image is not confined to what we see when we look in the mirror!). God is more!
If we are to participate with God in the building of a peaceable kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,” we must love “these ones.” We don’t have to accept (as a matter of fact, we ought not to accept) their “behaviors and relationships that [do not] uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable.”[2]
Love “these ones.” God will sort it out. Know that God understands when we grumble and complain, but God also knows how much happier we would be if we didn’t!
Blessings,
Blake
[1] TikTok, @thatnursemissy.
[2] Doctrine and Covenants 164:6a
For the week of Nov 29th, 2021
See the Doctor
27 years ago I lost hearing in my right ear due to the shingles virus. And, because a series of bad choices (a teenager who listen to music to loudly, a young adult who worked as a DJ in a nightclub, and an adult who often worked with loud tools without hearing protection) the hearing in my other ear is not that great. When I first learned that I had lost hearing in one ear, I was devastated. Knowing that my overall hearing had been diminished already, I feared becoming totally deaf.
I was in my 20’s at the time, and I was too proud to pursue any type of hearing aid. After all, the doctors had said that there was nothing I could do to you get hearing back in my right here. The best that could be done would be to put a microphone in my right ear and transmit it to my left ear. I didn’t understand, nor did I pursue any additional information. All I heard was… “There’s nothing we can do.”
Because I still had some hearing, I slowly learned to cope with my new life circumstance. In most cases, although I sometimes had to ask for people to repeat what they had said, I was able to get by. Over the 27 years, the times that I struggled the most were the times when I found myself in the midst of noise and crowds. Again, in the beginning, I pushed through…sometimes pretending to hear what was being said and offering the occasional smile or nod to show that I was engaged. In those cases, I would privately ask someone to fill me in later.
With the passing of time, hearing in my left ear continued to weaken, and tinnitus began to set in. I knew I had to do something. So, I took the leap, went to see a doctor, and sought out hearing aids. WOW… what a difference! I had gotten so used to not hearing that I had no idea how much I was missing. With the slow decline in overall hearing, I had been lulled into thinking that anything was good enough. Now a new world was opening to me.
Then, after four weeks of blissful listening, my hearing aids stopped working. All of the sudden, without notice, I was plunged back into near silence, and it would be 10 or more days before I would be able to get them fixed. No longer was “anything” good enough when it came to hearing. I had a sample of what can be, and I refuse to settle for less.
I feel like my journey with hearing is like many people’s journey with God. They are born and raised in an environment where God is present all the time. At some point in their life, they slowly begin to lose their connection to God. They may go many years without being affected only to realize there is something missing in their life. They find their way back to God and find a world and a joy and a love that opens them to something new… something better. Then, something causes a disconnect (a crisis of faith, a twinge of doubt, a loss of hope). This time it isn’t gradual. There is no time to get lulled into a sense of settling for less. All of the sudden they are lost in the silence. But this time, the stark contrast of “hearing and not hearing” creates a sense of urgency.
Once we have truly experienced the unconditional love of God … once we have allowed ourselves to put aside our pride and do whatever it takes to enhance our “hearing” … once we have had a glimpse of the fullness of life that God intends for each one of us, individually and communally, we don’t want to go without it for one day, much less ten.
Because of my pride and because I “didn’t know,” I wasted 27 years that I could have been hearing all that I needed to and was intended to hear. I could have experienced so much more for so much longer. Don’t allow pride or doubt or lack of knowledge to slowly lull you into settling for something less in your relationship with God. The abundant life that God has planned for you is just waiting for you to take the leap, and go see the “Doctor.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov 15th, 2021
Big Trucks and SUVs
For the last 8-10 years, I have been driving a Prius. There are several things I like about it, but it also has its drawbacks. Suffice it to say that even though the gas mileage feature is ideal for big city travel, it can be a bit intimidating to be in rush hour traffic and to be “closed in” on all sides by bigger vehicles… which is pretty much any other vehicle. Given the fact that the majority of vehicles travelling the interstates, highways and even back roads seem to be semi-trucks, monster trucks, SUVs (OK… even most sedans seem big next to a Prius), it is a rare occasion when I find myself with a clear view of the road ahead.
Even though we typically know where we are headed, and know how far we still have to go based on certain “landmarks” along the way, there is so much we don’t know. Are we approaching a traffic jam that will require extra time, or a roadblock that will require a last-minute detour? Will we need to make an unexpected stop at a moment’s notice? What about road hazards … objects in the road, stalled vehicles, potholes?
The other day, I found myself in one of those situations with very large vehicles on every side of me. My vision was completely blocked. My speed, my lane choice, my ability to exit were all being determined by someone else. At the same time, I realized that several of the situations I was dealing with in my work (and sometimes deal with in life) had created a similar environment. Everything seemed to depend on someone else’s choices. I wasn’t sure what lay ahead.
I don’t know about you, but I like to be prepared. (Some might call that “liking to be in control” (which I will neither confirm nor deny). There’s something about looking ahead that allows me to prepare myself…to plan my reaction… to chart a new or different path if necessary. Not knowing requires faith and trust. And, in driving situations, that faith and trust has to be put in those (other drivers) who are not always deserving of faith and trust.
Sometimes our life journey feels like we’re traveling down the road in a Prius, surrounded by “big trucks and SUVs.” We long for some sort of “break” that will offer us a glimpse at what is coming down the road. In those moments, we may feel closed in…not sure whether to put our faith and trust in something other than our own intuition and experience… hoping that there won’t be any surprises, abrupt stops, or unexpected detours. The good news is that our faith and trust can be placed in a God that has lots of “driving” experience that we will ever have. Our God has a clear vision of what lies ahead in our lives and travels with us everywhere we go.
When brakes are needed, God is there. When road hazards sneak up on us, God is there. When detours are required, God is there.
I don’t know what the “big trucks and SUVs” are in your life that close you in or block your view, but I do know that you are not alone…
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, [nor big trucks and SUVs] nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8: 38-39 (adapted)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of November 8th, 2021
Pure Joy
Although you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice
with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving
the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9
I realize that there are some who may think that Halloween should not be “celebrated” (or even acknowledged) by Christians. That said, I am not one of them. My wife and I actually look forward to that day every year. For one thing, it is an afternoon/evening that, when weather allows, we get to visit with all of our neighbors. Firepits are brought from back decks to driveways. Garage doors that remained closed most of the time are open and there seems to be a time of “letting our guard down” and welcoming the stranger… with a smile and a cheerful greeting. It’s the one night of the year when we aren’t scared to go to the door.
The greatest highlight is the joy expressed by the costumed children. There is something about the excitement in the air… the anticipation of filling their container with unimaginable treats… the thrill and excitement felt when a favorite candy is offered.
Though it was probably not necessary this year, we chose to share our candy through a tube that allowed all parties to observe appropriate social distancing. However, rather than being seen as something that divided, it was a source of added excitement and anticipation as children carefully held their bags in place… waiting to receive what they could not see, but knew would be something special. One particular boy, after the candy had made it down the tube to his bag, excitedly turned to his parents, raised his hands in victory and yelled, “YES! I got a Reese’s.” Pure joy, no reservations.
In the passage from 1 Peter (at the top). the apostle writes to “the exiles of the Dispersion”… persons who had experienced varying degrees of suffering. His message is one of pure joy… expressing to those who were being “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1:5) the promise of a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though they had not seen him… they believed… and that belief gave them cause to “rejoice with an indescribably and glorious joy.”
The kids who came to our house on Halloween had not seen the candy that would find its way into their bags. They couldn’t be absolutely positive that there would be candy at all. It could have been a pencil or something else more practical. And yet, they endured the “suffering” and pushed forward. They may have looked silly… they may have been hot … they may have been tired form the long walk (a block is as good as a mile to a small child)… and most importantly, they had to remain cheerful, saying please and thank you, through it all. But… they had faith. They knew, when all was said and done, it would be worth it. And, no doubt, they experienced joy.
Our walk with Christ is often long and sometimes trying. Others may think we look silly, and the mantle we carry may be cumbersome… but we have faith, and we know that… when all is said and done… it will be worth it. Where we have the advantage, is that we don’t have to wait for the “candy to hit the bag” to experience indescribable and glorious joy… pure joy … as long as we walk in faith. We can at any point turn to those we love and raise our arms in victory proclaiming all that we have received.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of November 1st, 2021
Reconciliation
I’m not aware of anyone who has never made a mistake… said something they shouldn’t have or done something they wish they hadn’t. Even those who might be able to claim never having intentionally done something wrong or hurtful, have likely said or done something of which they weren’t even aware, yet inadvertently caused harm to another individual or group of people.
Before camera phones and social media posts, one might have hoped that the “mistakes” made would have gone unnoticed, or that the person(s) wronged, would simply forget, or at least forgive. Nowadays, that is less likely because almost everyone has a camera phone, and social media provides a vast number of platforms for people to tag “friends” in posts they might not have otherwise personally posted… committing “mistakes” to eternal memory. Things done as teens can come back to haunt folks later in life…cast a different light on their current stated “values”… raise questions about what they really believe. Things said and done (or not said and one) as adults can be just as harmful, effecting the lives of others and altering relationships that are important.
No doubt, it would be easier…more comfortable for everyone… if looking back was not an option… if the past couldn’t be held against us. But what if the ability to look back offered a path to healing rather than ammunition to tear each other down?
Contrary to popular belief, the lasting presence of information from our past can be a good thing. It requires that we take account of where we have been, and the ways we have grown (or not grown). It requires that we constantly evaluate the relationships, ideologies, perceptions, stereotypes, and systems in and under which we operate. It requires listening to those who have been wounded by words and actions. Sure, what is spoken might not be comfortable, but it can be helpful as long as we remember…
- We have all made mistakes, and stand in need of grace (from God and from one another)
- Although everyone does not change as they mature… everyone CAN change.
- Perception of the “receiver” is important. What we meant is important, but it is not the final word if it is not received as intended.
- As Christians, we are called to be reconciled with God and with one another.
- Reconciliation that leads to sacred community requires forgiveness, compassion and humility… at a minimum …
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, said…
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (4: 31-32)
And to the Colossians, he wrote…
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (3:12-14)
And to the Corinthians…
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (5: 18-20)
May we become ambassadors of reconciliation … being willing to acknowledge those times we have made “mistakes,” to take responsibility for those mistakes, and to seek forgiveness where we have done harm. May we also be willing to extend grace to those who seek it so that we might be reconciled to God and to each other.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 25th, 2021
Another Space
picture by Guzman Lozano (flickr)
We sat in a restaurant booth with a couple of our friends the other night. We’ve gone to this restaurant on occasion because we like the food and we have the same server each time… a server who knows us and what we like (we are creatures of habit, so that’s not too hard…LOL). We have felt comfortable at this restaurant because, although business is usually good, most of the business is carry out, so the seating area is not crowded, and the environment is clean and safe. This night was completely different.
Apparently, more and more people are feeling comfortable eating out rather than taking their food to go. When we arrived, we noted that there were more “for here” customers than “to go” customers. By the time our food arrived, not only were all the seats taken, but there was a line of people waiting for tables. It’s important to note, that this is not a large restaurant in the first place. In warmer weather, people often wait outside for an open table if necessary, but this night was cold and so the “lobby” filled.
Our discomfort on this night really didn’t have anything to do with limited social distancing… we had our booth and were adequately separated from other patrons. Our discomfort came from the distractions that mounted as the night went on. Significantly increased noise levels, servers navigating through crowds of waiting patrons to get to their tables, crashing dishes, and constant movement made it difficult to focus on the conversation at our table. More than once, the conversation was interrupted by these distractions. A couple of times we even forgot where we were in the conversation, and had to “reset.” Finally, out of frustration, we gave up and moved to another space to visit. Yes… we did finish our dinner and pay the bill first!
In the newer, quieter space we were able to pay attention to one another, complete our sentences and experience a sense of peace in each other’s company. When the night was over, and I was in the quiet of my home, I reflected on how often my life gets so full of distractions that I get lost in my “conversation” with God. Though, I’m sure God has figured out by now how to navigate distractions and stay focused on us… I’m not so sure I have mastered that skill. As a matter of fact, I know I haven’t.
My life often becomes like a busy restaurant, crowded with tasks waiting for a seat at the table… constant movement, and ever increasing “noise” levels. My plate is often full, and it is easy to get distracted in the moment… sometimes I get so distracted that I have to “reset,” and, if I’m being honest, sometimes its hours or even days before I get to that reset. Thank goodness, each time I do, God is there waiting patiently, ready to pick up where we left off.
Life can get crazy busy… even for those whose personality lends itself toward quietness and solitude. It is human nature to rationalize why we don’t have time to “move to another space” where there are at least fewer distractions… where we can focus on God, and what God is wanting and waiting to share with us. At our worst, we can’t hear God at all. At best, we get bits and pieces… broken and interrupted sentences… partial messages that leave us wondering or filling in the blanks ourselves.
I recognize my need to be more proactive at “moving to another space” where I can give God the undistracted attention that God deserves … the same attention God offers me every day. It doesn’t mean I have to become a recluse or a hermit, but it does mean I have to quit rationalizing and get to a place where I can hear, pay attention, and enjoy moments of peace in God’s company. If I can do it, so can you.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 18th, 2021
Unlikely Sources of Wisdom
If you were to take an honest look at your life and from whom/what you have gained some of your greatest insights, what would you find? In most cases, you probably gained wisdom from older family members, trusted neighbors and friends, teachers, and experts (sometimes from books, and sometimes from YouTube). I wonder, however, if you were being honest, how many times you have gained wisdom from an unlikely source… say from someone with whom you often disagree, or with someone who holds a completely different perspective or world view than the one you hold. It is a possibility.
I am a dog lover, and when I saw the ponderings below in a framed print, I had to have it. Even if you don’t love dogs, you might find it difficult to refute the wisdom of their perspective…
Things we can learn from a dog…
Start each day with a happy attitude.
Greet each person you meet with enthusiasm.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Don’t be afraid to stick your head out of the window.
Don’t hold grudges for very long.
Support those in need of a friend.
Explore everything as you walk the day.
When someone is having a bad day, be supportive.
Take plenty of rests to re-energize so you are ready for the next adventure.
Loyalty is a virtue, so be loyal.
Play is good.
Relieve yourself regularly to help reduce stress.
Set your limits by marking your spot.
Accept treats and a kind pat on the head whenever they are offered.
Protect those you love and who love you.
Show your passion and enthusiasm with gusto.
When you see loved ones, act as if you haven’t seen them for years.
Be your authentic self.
Display love unconditionally.
– Dr. Alex Pattakos & Bouvie
When we surround ourselves only with people who look like us, think like us, act like us, believe like us, and agree with us… we run the risk of missing out on some great nugget of wisdom that will expand our perspectives and enhance our lives.
The Community of Christ has been counseled to…
“Listen carefully to the many testimonies of those around the world who have been led into the fellowship of the Community of Christ. The richness of cultures, the poetry of language, and the breadth of human experience permit the gospel to be seen with new eyes and grasped with freshness of spirit. That gift has been given to you. Do not fail to understand its power.”
Doctrine and Covenants 162:4a
Even if the “wisdom” we receive from an unlikely source teaches us things we should not do, ways we should not act toward others, or things we should not say… it is wisdom all the same.
Maybe you’re not ready to sit and talk with someone with whom you know you disagree. That’s OK. Try starting by reading a book by an author with “another” perspective, and see what you might learn. Whatever you do, approach it with an open heart and mind… asking God to walk with you and help you see the wisdom that might be there.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 11th, 2021
Moving is something my family is very familiar with. Since the birth of our first daughter, we have moved 9 times…in other words a lot! With each move came the excitement of house hunting, and with each new house, something new or different (a pool, hardwood floors, a finished basement, upstairs laundry, a front porch). Every house has had its own unique draw. However, none of them…until now… have had a place for me to have a workshop. Because I love repurposing furniture and like to dabble at woodworking, I was excited.
I have been acquiring the tools to put in a workshop for more than ten years, and now they would have a home. Some of the tools I’ve never used, and others I don’t yet know how to use…because there has always been a reason why I couldn’t. Now, I would finally be able to do some of the projects I had been wanting to do for some time. No longer would I simply have to imagine what I might be able to accomplish if only I had space…if only I had time…if only I had tools… and if only I had knowledge.
“IF ONLY!”
What I’ve learned in the last year is that having space, time, tools and knowledge (aka. YouTube instructional videos) is not enough. You must also be able to use the tools…right? To use the tools, however, you must be able to access them. And to access them, you can’t let other things get piled in the way. I know, another “if only.” At first, I reasoned that it was the best “out of the way” place to put moving boxes that had not yet been emptied, and in some cases not even opened. Then, it became a convenient place to store (hide) items that didn’t yet have a home. Though I have finally been able to remove all the non-shop items, there is still decluttering and clean up to be done, instructional videos to watch and absorb, and mistakes to be made, before any successes will be celebrated.
It’s uncanny how similar this is to the gifts and passions with which God has blessed me in order that I might help in the building of the peaceable kingdom of God on earth. Inherent in the gifts that God has given me (far more than ten years ago) are the “tools” to accomplish projects (the Mission of Christ) that I have only until now, been able to imagine. I have come up with numerous excuses why I couldn’t in the past. I have … albeit subconsciously (who would consciously avoid God’s call)… allowed those tools to be hidden in the clutter and busy-ness of my life. I have not always taken the time to learn how to best use those tools. At times, I have used my time to engage other “tools” whose use was easier…requiring less work on my part. Maybe I was just afraid that the result might not match my what I had imagined, or that it was better not to try than to try and make mistakes.
But there is a reason why God has given me (and you) the gifts I (we) have. Doing the work of creating community and “building God’s peaceable kingdom, was never meant to be easy. It requires that we remove the clutter (the banter of naysayers, the fear of failure, the comfort of blessing, and the temptation towards busy-ness) so that we might access those gifts and begin to co-create with God.
If only there was something we could do with what God has already given us. Wait… there is!!
If only God was willing to let us try again when and if we make a mistake. Wait… God is!!
If only there wasn’t so much clutter. Well…that one is up to us!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 4th, 2021
Purple Faces and Pink Elephants
Everyone has their own way of relaxing or “winding down” after a long day. Personally, I prefer some mindless activity like watching some low energy program on TV, doing a jigsaw puzzle on my tablet (no lost pieces… sorting is easy… you get the idea), or… my new favorite… engaging in a “color by number” app on my phone or tablet. This new “obsession” got me thinking about how our faith journey resembles the stages we go through when it comes to coloring.
We start out as children coloring outside the lines…often with whichever color is closest at hand. The pictures most of us create are unrecognizable and somewhat out of control. As we get older, we are encouraged to “reign it in”… to color within the lines. Choice of color still doesn’t matter, hence the purple faced people, and the pink elephants, etc. Eventually, we begin to learn about how certain colors work better together than others. This is perhaps where color by number projects are most helpful. Control and pre-set pattern come together to create a recognizable and realistic picture.
Some are satisfied to stay at this stage (not everyone is a gifted artist). Others move on… those who begin employing their own color palettes to pre-drawn pictures (no numbers), and the more adventurous who move on to an empty canvas… creating a masterpiece on their own using their God-given gifts and inspiration. Regardless of at which point we find ourselves on the spectrum of coloring acuity, our parents proudly display our creations on the refrigerator or the family room wall as if they were Picassos. They support our attempts and celebrate our successes.
As children, our faith journey is a bit of a wild ride. God begins as a picture on a page. We color outside the lines with whatever color we can find because we don’t yet know better. No one expects us to get it right. Then, we experience some form of religious education where we are taught to “color inside the lines.” We are taught to believe, but we have not yet learned the “right” colors to use. Before long, we learn that there is a suggested pattern and that there is a right way and a wrong way to fill in the picture. We are given numbers to make sure the final picture is as the original artist planned. Finally we are able to take the picture and fill it in on our own… without someone else’s guidance… but with the same precision that brings about an acceptable image of God.
In my own journey, I have found that there is a time and place for color by number projects. There is an ease to them that allows me to participate without having to think too deeply. It allows me to rest in what is, without worry for what will be.
On the other hand, there is also a time and place to pull out the empty canvas and use the resources God has given us (Scripture, reason, life experiences, church and family traditions, God’s ongoing self-revelation in the world, and sacred community) to imagine something new. We are not constrained to one image or one color palette. Though God has a plan and a desire for creation, I believe that God’s plans and desire include an invitation to create with abandon. The canvas is waiting and the color palette ranges beyond our wildest imaginations.
God is not a picture on a page or a name in a book. God is alive and present and active… calling us forward into a world of new images and new understandings. Regardless of what stage we find ourselves in on our spiritual journey on any given day, I believe that God proudly displays our “works of art” as it if they are Picassos… purple faces or pink elephants, inside or outside the lines, cohesive color schemes or random color palettes. What is most important is that we continue to color… continue to be co-creators and kingdom builders with God. That is God’s gift to us.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 27th, 2021
Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given… The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’… But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matthew 13:10-11, 13, 16-17 (NRSV)
For twenty-seven years, I have had little to know hearing in my right ear thanks to the Shingles virus. I sometimes joked (after the shock of hearing loss had subsided) that “I was deaf in one hear and couldn’t hear out of the other.” No doubt, a couple of years as a DJ coupled with years of music played a little too loud and no hearing protection to speak of, brought about the reduced hearing in ear number two. Earlier this year, when I began to hear “locusts” when there were none, I decided I needed to do something about my hearing.
So, two weeks ago, I finally got hearing aids. For the first time in a long time, I can now hear sounds that I had been missing… some pleasurable, some annoying. (They apparently haven’t yet created a pair of hearing aids with select hearing. It’s no wonder though…it’s no easy task… trust me, I’ve been trying to perfect it for years….LOL.) I have to admit, I kick myself for having allowed myself to just get used to not hearing well, and for not having done something to correct the problem sooner.
I can’t tell you how great it is not having to ask folks to repeat everything they say…sometimes more than once. It still happens occasionally since my doctor is still fine tuning the settings based on my needs. What I’ve learned so far is that I can’t take hearing for granted. I don’t have a new super power. I still have to work at it. But the “work” is worth it, because life is so much more enjoyable when you can hear.
The same is true for our spiritual journey. Some of us work, subconsciously of course, to perfect to perfect our selective hearing when it comes to God’s call and action in our lives. The good news is that “spiritual hearing aids” (prayer, fasting, study, covenant relationship, etc.) were created a long time ago. We just have to remember to keep them charged up and to “put them in” to practice.
Jesus tells his disciples that they had been given the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven. They had eyes to see and ears to hear. They had what they need to interpret and to understand what Christ was telling them… to know what God was doing in their midst.
We too have all that we need to interpret and understand and know regarding God’s presence and action and calling in our lives. But we have to do the work. The question is how long we’ll convince ourselves that whatever hearing we have is sufficient…that it’s just our lot in life to limited hearing? I believe God prefers we would not settle when we have been given the “technology” … “the spiritual hearing aids” needed to experience a fuller life with God… to hear all that God has to share with us whether we think it’s annoying or not…whether it makes us uncomfortable or not.
I have already been blessed by the things I can hear now that I’m using my hearing aids. Just imagine how blessed we could all be if we had “ears to hear.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 20th, 2021
Weeds and Dead Spots
Picture by Anna Shvets
Last year, my wife and I moved into a new house (new for us). One of my favorite things about the house was the yard and the fact that it was in such good condition… thick grass… few weeds … no bare spots. I actually enjoy yard work, but the thought of starting with a “clean” slate that required regular maintenance, but not intense attention was exciting for me.
Imagine my chagrin then, when this Spring and Summer there were little brown spots in scattered places across the lawn. I knew there were certain types of grasses that start out brown and eventually turn green, and I also knew that my lawn, although in good condition, had a mixture of grasses throughout. So… I didn’t worry. However, concern began to grow as the summer progressed…temperatures warmed… and the grass failed to turn green. Still… I did nothing other than engage in wishful thinking. By Labor Day not only had the grass failed to grow and/or turn green, the brown spots had grown…some leaving the dreaded bare spots I had so wanted to avoid.
It was clear that I was going to have to give in…nothing (other than a few hardy weeds) were going to grow in those spots without some extra effort on my part. And so, I got to work. I had heard of “dethatching” the yard before, but had never really had to do that anywhere else as my yard had always seemed to recover on its own. What I didn’t realize is how hard “dethatching” could be.
I didn’t have a fancy riding mower with an attachment to do the work for me. I had only a pair of gloves and a garden rake. In some places, the dead grass raked up quite easily, but in other spots, although the roots were dead, the grass had apparently melded with the hard clay beneath and did not easily give way. I found myself on my hands and knees with a hand tool working the dead roots and invasive weeds out of the way to make room for new growth.
I couldn’t help but think, as I knelt there in the yard, how the “dead spots” in my lawn were like the “dead spots” that appear out of nowhere in our spiritual journeys sometimes. It starts as a small spot, then a “weed” begins to grow in the compromised space…damaging the roots of what once grew with ease… mimicking the “green” life that preceded it… and choking out any hope of new life. Before you know it, what once was beautiful is in danger of slowly dying. No amount of water or sun will do the trick. What is needed is a “dethatching” … a removal of the weeds and dead roots … a turning of the soil … and a replacement of the nutrients that encouraged healthy growth once before.
I have no idea if the sod and seed I have planted in the newly dethatched areas of my lawn will grow. I do know that I will have to work at it. I can’t allow cracks in which weeds can find root. I cannot disregard the brown spots in hopes that they will turn green on their own. I can’t depend on the weather patterns to provide adequate moisture to foster growth. Likewise, I cannot neglect my spiritual growth. It too needs freedom from the “weeds” that attempt to fill the cracks, from the dead and dying roots that allow the clay (my heart) to harden, and from the never ending thirst that must be quenched in order for that which God has planted to thrive.
Perhaps like me, your spiritual “lawn” is in occasional need of “dethatching.” I believe that God desires for our hearts to be fertile ground for the growing of his love in our lives. We just need to make sure the ground is clear.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept 13th, 2021
Send a Coyote
A little over ten years ago, a colleague shared a prayer with me that he had written and committed to pray every day. He called it the “Witnessing Prayer,” and encouraged any who would to pray the prayer daily and see how God might bless them. Here’s the prayer …
“God, who’s out there
that you are wanting me to trade stories with? I need to listen to their story
and they need to hear mine. God, bring me together with that person(s) that you
would like for me to be in a witnessing relationship with. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.”
For the last several years, members and friends of the Community of Christ have been encouraged to pray what is called the Mission Prayer…
“God, where will your
Spirit lead today? Help me be fully awake and ready to respond. Grant me
courage to risk something new and become a blessing of your love and peace.
Amen.”
Over time I made the switch from the Witnessing Prayer to the Mission Prayer as a daily discipline. I can honestly say that I have truly been blessed with more testimonies of unexpected encounters that turned into opportunities to share my faith or to become a blessing of God’s love and peace than I can count.
Both prayers are simple. Both are intended to open us to what God is calling us to each day. One may seem limited to witnessing relationships while the other is completely open; yet, both express a desire to join God in mission… to expect “unexpected” encounters that lead to unimaginable outcomes.
If I’m honest, though, I have not been as consistent in my Mission Prayer discipline since the beginning of the pandemic. With fewer face to face encounters… (it is obviously more difficult to have unexpected encounters when you rarely leave your house, and then carefully avoid others in public places when you do) … it’s easy to get out of the habit.
Last week, however, I was cutting grass at our church campgrounds. There are fourteen acres so it takes a while. I had been cutting for several hours in the peace and quiet … just me and the mower and nature … when I came around the corner created by a wooded area and found myself maybe fifteen feet from a coyote. Two things came to mind. First, the words from the campfire song about running into a bear … “He sized up me, I sized up him”… came flooding into my mind as we both just stopped in our tracks, surprised by the presence of the other. Then, after he/she turned and trotted away, I sat and thought for a time about what had happened.
In that lingering silence, I found myself remembering the two prayers, and wondering if I had been getting so caught up in my daily routine that I needed a reminder from God to pay attention…to be fully awake … to be open to those whom God would place in my path … and, to be ready to respond. Of course, the coyote was not wanting to tell me his/her story nor was it interested in hearing mine. There would be no relationship built between the coyote and me other than a mutual respect for one another. But, the reminder, whether coincidental or divine, was received.
Not all of our encounters are as obvious or blatant as my encounter with the coyote, but I think that sometimes God has to be obvious to get my attention. How about you? I will not soon forget that encounter with the coyote, but I will no doubt need a similar “obvious” encounter in the future to remind me that God is always there…working…moving…creating…loving…waiting. That said, I’m committed to doing the best I can to watch and listen for God in the more subtle ways God often shows up. Who knows how many blessings we miss because we weren’t paying attention?
What does God have to do to get your attention …. send a coyote?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of September 6th, 2021
“Is it Too Much to Ask?
Many of the common means of communication these days … texting, instant messaging, tweeting, etc… require little effort and time. That’s why they are so popular. I mean, who wants to be caught in a long, drawn out phone call, or get stuck in a conversation that has no apparent end? We’ve got things to do!
So… how do we make the most of those means of communication?
In group chats between members of my family, it is quickly apparent which texts are from me… the ones with punctuation. Some would say using punctuation defeats the purpose of a quick communication meant simply to show response. However, I can tell of many times when I’ve heard a person comment positively when they received a response that actually communicated an emotive reaction.
We’ve all seen the hilarious ways in which punctuation, or lack thereof, can completely change the meaning of a sentence. For example…
“Let’s eat, Grandma!” without the comma becomes a disgusting suggestion, “Let’s eat Grandma!” And, with punctuation, “A woman without her man is nothing,” (potentially offensive and definitely debatable) becomes “A Woman: without her, man is nothing” (come on…you know it’s true!)
No doubt, punctuation matters! Not only for communicating meaning, but for expressing emotive responses, not unlike we might share if face to face. Imagine informing a dear friend of your recent engagement. Which would you prefer in response, “nice,” or “Congratulations!”… a quick like/thumbs up, or “How Exciting!” I know there are those of you reading this who would choose the first (quickest) option. That said, consider this…
We know that a large portion of a verbally communicated message is transmitted via body language and tone of voice. The reality is that we probably won’t soon change the fact that as a society we now spend much more time communicating via phone text or instant message than we do sitting on our front porch with neighbors and friends talking about the days events, or that more and more people are shopping online rather than actually going to a brick and mortar store where interaction with employees and other customers is inevitable.
For years, we have been trending away from human interaction in a way that I believe is detrimental to understanding how those in our communities are really doing. How many times has someone told you via text or instant message that they are fine, when in fact you know that they are not? How many times have you received a “written” message and not been sure of the intent of the writer (to encourage, to be sarcastic, to deflect, to insult, to uplift or to put off)?
I’m not suggesting that we give in to the current trends and give up on old-fashioned in-person, face to face communication. To the contrary, I strongly believe justice, peace, understanding the “other,” and creating sacred community (to name just a few things) depend on it. I am also not saying there aren’t good uses for digital media messaging. What I AM saying is that we ought not to take what communication we have with others for granted. Each encounter (digital or in-person) has the potential to transform relationships… for better or worse. We never know how long we have with the persons we love. We never know if we will cross paths with that random stranger again.
Remember how Jesus took time to sit beside the well for a while with the Samaritan woman, or knelt in the dirt with the woman caught in adultery, or took time out to sit with the disciples and the crowds on the hillside teaching and healing, listening and feeding. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t busy. Although his disciples were often put out by the requests for his attention, Jesus never seemed to think it was too much to ask.
So, is it too much to ask that we be careful and intentional in our communication with one another? Aren’t our relationships and our call to create sacred community worth a little extra time, and perhaps a little carefully selected punctuation? I think so!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 30th, 2021
Subtle Cues
Today, I walked into a convenient store/gas station that I have been in at least a hundred times in the last eight years. It has been a favorite “go to” near the church campgrounds where I have spent a good deal of time each summer. I typically stop in for their version of an “ICEE”© and a bag of chips to have for the hour ride home. It has become so routine that I could make the stop with my eyes closed.
When I walked in the store and headed for the frozen beverage machines I was shocked to see that all of the cups dispensers were empty. There are usually at least 5 sizes to choose from (only in America), and the cups are usually overflowing. I asked a nearby employee if the drink machines were not working, to which I received a snippy response… “They’re working.” To which I replied, “but there are no cups.” To which the employee responded (with an eye roll that was well practiced), “there’s only one size and the cups are over there” (insert pointing gesture here). Wanting something a little larger, I decided to go for something in the bottled section.
Having made my alternate drink choice and having picked my favorite snack bag, I proceeded to the checkout. As I approached the cashier, I held out my rewards card scanning, only to hear, “I can’t take that.” Thinking I had misheard, I asked him to repeat. There was no need, I had heard him right the first time. My initial response was shock and disappointment. Then, I began to realize the subtle changes that had not caught my attention. Although the store’s exterior still had the same color scheme used by the company I like so well, the logo was gone… and a new (small) temporary sign had been placed above the door. The employees were all wearing matching shirts (they just didn’t match those of the previous company’s employees). The cues were there, I just hadn’t seen them.
As I drove away from the store, I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how some folks feel in today’s world. Our world is constantly changing. People everywhere are struggling with those changes… the loss of “normal”… the fear of what might (or might not) be ahead. In response, most folks appear to be holding it together. All the while, there are subtle cues (signs, t-shirts, newly expressed emotions/reactions) screaming for attention and acknowledgement… a smile, an encouraging word, a listening ear.
It is only by chance that I found out that my favorite convenient store had gone through some changes. It was only after the fact that I noticed the subtle cues that had been there all along. Had I entered the store to get a bottle of water instead of a frozen fountain drink… had I left my rewards card in the car and decided to check out without getting “credit” for my purchase… had I been able to “shop with my eyes closed,” I probably still wouldn’t know something was different.
In today’s world, filled with constant change…instant (and constant) media coverage… political division…systemic racism… minority exclusion…catastrophic weather events… and everyday life issues, we can’t afford to go through life “routinely”… failing to notice the cues given off by those around us that something is “different.”
A friend sent me a quote from Robert Ingersoll (surprisingly known as the Great Agnostic) the other day. It said, “We rise by lifting others.” (Sounds like a God thing to me.) I believe we cannot “lift” others if we are not paying attention to the subtle cues that tell us they need lifting in the first place.
When we are struggling with change… when something is “a little different” in us, God picks up on the cues, and responds in love… either directly through the presence of the Holy Spirit or through the love and concern of another. Who knows, maybe we are the ones God is sending to respond to the cues that something is different. We have to keep an eye out for those cues.
“Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me.”
Matthew 25:40
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 23rd, 2021
Waiting is Not an Option (Part 2)
“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 into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:1-5
There are no more adequate words than these words from the Gospel According to John when it comes to relating the importance… the essential nature and value of light.
In last week’s “From the Desk of…” I admitted my failure to pay close enough attention to my garden where certain plants (tomatoes and cucumbers) had taken more light and air than they needed… encroaching on the space and light of another tomato plant. I had looked only to see that there appeared to be healthy growing plants in the area where I had planted… completely overlooking the fact that only one variety was thriving.
I am happy to say that the adjustments I made (pruning a little here and there, redirecting misguided vines, and providing support for the overlooked plants) produced better results than I could have ever expected. And, I am also happy to report, that making the necessary ad-“just”- ments (think about it… JUST … JUSTICE…) in no way reduced the vitality and productivity of the formerly dominant plants. Rather, it added greatly to the harvest.
Now, not only do we have an abundance of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, we are being overrun by Romas. Last week there were no ripened Romas and the plant was beginning to wither. In the past five days we have harvested 12-15 delicious Romas and the plant is strong. Not only do we have enough for our own wants and needs, we have so much extra to share.
For me, this is an example of what can happen when we are willing to notice… willing to adjust … willing to share our space and our power and our influence … willing to let others share in life-giving light … willing to let the Spirit (wind) breathe new life into their being, the outcome is abundance… not the scarcity that so many in our world have taught us to fear and to avoid.
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
If those of us who call ourselves followers of this Jesus will actually walk inChrist’s light, we will begin to see that the thriving of one of God’s “plants” does not require suppression of others of God’s “plants.” When we reach our arms toward the Son, rather than spreading them far and wide in an effort to keep the Sun to ourselves…when we use our energy to produce the fruit that God has created us to produce, rather than using that energy to choke out our neighbor, a new diversity can begin to grow and thrive and flourish so that all may enjoy the bounty of abundant life.
Waiting is NOT AN OPTION… and yet, “they” still wait. Will you join me in the “garden?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 16th, 2021
Waiting is Not an Option
Picture by B10M on flickr (CC)
Back in the Spring, I planted a garden as I have done for the last 15 or so years. Over the years, we have settled on some of our favorites, so in the last few years our garden is always the same… two kinds of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, scallions, jalapenos, basil, cilantro… and one random item not tried before. With careful planning and placement, there has always been room for those items to grow. What I’ve learned, however, is that the gardening is not done when the plants are in the ground. Careful attention is needed from beginning to end.
Although the tomato plants have seemed to take longer and longer to produce ripened fruit in the last several years, we have not had a year where the tomatoes didn’t eventually flourish. I simply decided that it probably had to do with conditions out of my control and that we would just have to wait patiently. Needless to say, when the tomatoes were slow to ripen this year, I didn’t give it much thought. I had seen evidence of the cherry tomatoes growing and assumed that the same was true for the Romas. I figured that sooner or later they would surely come around. So, although I went to the garden to harvest the zucchini and cucumber almost every day, I had paid little attention to the tomatoes since I wasn’t yet seeing red.
Finally, yesterday, I decided I might need to look a little closer. And what I discovered is that while the Roma plant was filled with fruit, it had been overrun and overshadowed by the neighboring plants. The cherry tomatoes had grown up and over the Romas, and the cucumber vines had crept in from below. There, huddled near the ground…held back by their neighbors… the Romas struggled to make their presence known… to get their share of the sun and air needed to thrive. I immediately began to clear away vines and redirect the growth of the surrounding plants in an effort to allow the Romas access to the life-giving resources they needed. Waiting was not an option.
As I look to the life and ministry of Jesus who paid specific attention to the sick, poor, marginalized, oppressed, and outcast… the widow and the orphan, I am reminded that those issues do not go away with patient waiting. Jesus was constantly challenging obstacles to the Kingdom building process (self-righteous attitudes, misunderstandings of the law, deeply rooted traditions that took on divine status, and empirical systems that favored one group at the expense of another). Though one might have easily argued that these were conditions beyond Jesus’ control, he knew that justice could not wait if the peaceable kingdom was to become a reality.
I cannot help but see the parallel between my lack of attentive care for my garden and the issues of injustice that plague our world. Those who have waited so long for their fair share of the “sun and air” needed to thrive are the very ones God calls us to walk with, to advocate for, to love, and to serve. We often sit in the comfort of our churches speaking and singing of welcome and inclusion, peace and justice, grace and love…patiently waiting for those to become a universal reality. All the while, we forget that God’s garden requires attentive gardeners to ensure that all creation has the life-giving resources needed to survive and to thrive.
Sure, some things may be out of our control, but we must decide to be attentive to, and work to remove the obstacles over which we do have control. Waiting is not an option!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 9th, 2021
Not By Might
“Not by might. Not by power. By your Spirit God. Send your Spirit God”
–from Your Spirit, by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard
A few weeks ago, I was making final preparations to share in ministry via Zoom with participants of an online multi-generational worship experience. Over the last year, it has become a somewhat common practice, so… although I have never gotten so comfortable with preaching that I completely avoid nerves… I was feeling pretty good about the words I believe the Spirit had prompted me to share, and I felt even better knowing that I had written those things on the computer and would have them available when it was time to speak.
Then, about three hours before the worship service, my computer locked up. The screen didn’t turn black, but all was frozen. Nothing I did would bring it back to life. The more time passed, the more frustrated I got. And with the increased frustration came more attempts to hurry it along. (Yes, I know that was a bad idea as pushing more keys only served to slow things down even more.) I finally did a forced shut down, allowing only a few seconds for the computer to cycle down before attempting to re-boot. I think I did about four forced shut downs before I decided it would be best to give it some time to rest.
In those hours of waiting, when I wasn’t pacing and praying, I attempted to recreate the sermon with paper and pen. You see, I had not printed my sermon prior to the computer lock up, and I rely on notes to stay on track and focused. Of course, I rely on the Spirit to guide me, but I prefer for that leading to come through my preparation time rather than in the moment. It’s not that I don’t trust the Spirit… I don’t trust my brain!
As the time for the worship got closer and closer, the pressure mounted and my anxiety peaked. Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief … and thanksgiving … as three minutes before the beginning of the service my computer appeared to come back to life. Well… appearances can be deceiving. The screen came to life, and the icons slowly loaded, but I was not able to open any programs. So, with scribbled notes in hand and a borrowed computer on which to Zoom, I joined the worship. It was difficult for me to pay attention to the other elements of the worship because I was praying desperately that my mind would be clear and that God’s message would be shared in spite of me.
Somehow, in the end, I got through it, and the Spirit prevailed. Not by might, not by power, not because of notes or by working computer, but by God’s Spirit. The words to the refrain of the song, Your Spirit, by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard echo the words recorded by the prophet Zechariah (4:6b), but they also remind us that we don’t have to be in control for God to do what God has planned. We need to prepare … to study and to pray … in order to be vessels for the carrying of God’s love and message to the places where, and with the people to whom, we are sent… by God’s Spirit!
Sure, might and power come in handy when you’re trying to move a physical object, but not when you want to “move” the world.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 2nd, 2021
Road Signs
One might think that after having lived in an area for just over eight years, I would have a pretty good idea of how to get to most places in the communities I serve. And yet, sometimes… even with my GPS leading the way, I find myself having to backtrack because I missed an exit or a turn … or because I thought I knew a better way.
I’d like to blame my occasional confusion on the fact that certain “landmarks” occur multiple times over a matter of miles on a single road or highway, or the fact that multiple landmarks seem to repeat at almost the same intervals… appearing together in more than one place along a route. But even then, I should know my way by now. I guess it’s a good thing that I have a GPS. On those days when I lose my way or forget which home improvement or mattress store is the “sign” that tells me I’m still on the right path, having something to correct my path or help me find my way back is very useful.
Unfortunately, a GPS is good for helping me with getting around the community, but can’t do much for me or anyone else on the journey of life together in community. Even though we humans have been living in community for way more than eight years … we apparently still don’t know our way around.
As a matter of fact, in many respects, we are in danger of losing our way. We have had glimpses of the right path from time to time, but, in reality, the things that have served as “directional road signs” (acceptable practices and ways of being) have been leading us down the wrong path for too long. Though we’d like to think that the issues before us today (racism, agism, ableism, and sexism to name a few) are new… brought on by some unforeseen series of events … they are not new. On a daily basis, directional signs that have any hope of leading us to sacred community seem to be turned upside down, covered in graffiti, torn down, and/or replaced with messages that are confusing, misleading, self-serving, and divisive. It’s not that the right signs don’t exist or that we don’t know where to go to find direction. The fact is that we often think we (or someone who has influence over us) knows a better way. The question is, “how far down the wrong road are we willing to let ourselves be taken before we turn back?”
In the days leading up to his death, Jesus told the disciples … “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me… you know the way to the place where I am going.” And though Thomas seemed confused saying, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14: 1, 4-6a, NRSV paraphrased). Jesus’ promise and message has never changed. It is the same for us today. We do know the way to sacred community. We just have to be careful not to be distracted by misplaced “road signs.” Just because a sign appears multiple times on the same path, doesn’t make it the right one.
Here’s a couple
of good “road signs” for the journey…
“There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c)
“As revealed in Christ, God, the Creator of all, ultimately is concerned about behaviors and relationships that uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable. Such relationships are to be rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, justice, covenant, and faithfulness, against which there is no law.” (Doctrine and Covenants 164: 6a)
Before you choose your path, check to make sure you’re following the right signs!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 26th, 2021
Breathtaking
Image by Ram Yoga (Flickr)
Breathing is a very precious and sacred act. Scriptures remind us that it is God’s breath in us that gives us life. From the creation story (Genesis 2:7) to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:5) to the commissioning and empowering of the disciples after the resurrection (John 20:22), breath is shown to be life-giving and life-sustaining. And yet, like many other things in life, we tend to take breathing for granted… at least until breathing becomes problematic.
I find it interesting that we use the phrase “It took my breath away” to refer to things, images, events, etc. that affect us in positive ways, because if you have ever really struggled for breath it was most likely anything but a positive experience. As a young child, I had various environmental allergies. And, as a result, I had some seasonal issues with asthma. Though I grew out of some of those allergies, there have still been times throughout my life when it has been necessary to keep a rescue inhaler with me in case of emergency. On days when breathing is easy, I tend to forget just how important is… how essential it is to our existence.
Of course, there are many reasons why any of us might not be able to breathe properly… some that are out of our control and others that are directly caused by our life choices.
Recently, I was visiting with a friend who relies on a machine to provide him with enough oxygen to do even the most limited of tasks. What once came easily to him, now seems an enormous burden. Even walking from one room to the next requires several pauses to rest before continuing on. He lives in constant fear that something unseen will “take his breath away.”
I can’t say for sure, but I’m fairly confident that most of us have made choices in our lives that we wish we hadn’t. I know this to be the case with my friend. And, because it is not my daily burden to serve as caretaker to my friend, it is perhaps easier for me to discount the fact that his condition is due in large part to his personal choices. Even though I knew he wasn’t choosing to be a burden to his family and friends who have to wait patiently for him to complete each painstaking task, I could not deny that it was in fact his choices that brought him to this place in his life.
Thankfully, we have a God that loves us unconditionally and, by His Spirit, breathes new life into us each and every day… desiring that with each new day we will make better choices… live-giving and life-sustaining choices.
Regardless of the choices we have made in the past, God’s grace opens the door for something new and different in our lives. We can’t go back and change what has been done, but we can move forward … allowing the breath of God to fill us and give us life.
May the only “breathtaking” thing in your life be the knowledge that not even your choices can change God’s love for you… a love that is unconditional, unshakable, undeniable, and unending.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 19th, 2021
In Whom Will You Trust?
The captain of a ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south.” Promptly a return message was received: “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”
The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south–I am the captain!” Soon another message was received: “Alter your course 10 degrees north–I am seaman third class Jones.” Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: “Alter your course 10 degrees south–I am a battleship.” Then the reply came: “Alter your course 10 degrees north–I am a lighthouse.”
Author Unknown
I have a confession to make, one that probably won’t come as much of a shock to those who know me, but… I’m a bit of a control freak. I don’t know why I’m like this. I just know I am, and I’ll bet some of you are too. We try to control everything; the temperature, the television channel, our children’s personalities, even our walk with God. Too often, instead of walking with God, we insist that God walk with us, we ask God to bless what we want to do instead of getting involved in what God is already blessing.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I find myself at a crossroads on a daily basis. There are always choices to be made. Take control or surrender. Continue down the same path regardless of whether or not that path is leading to a rocky cliff or pause and consider a new path that takes the best of the past, the lessons of the present, and the opportunities of what is yet to come. Forge ahead on my own or follow the path illuminated by the light of Christ.
Global pandemics, financial stressors, dwindling church attendance, exhausting schedules, changing culture and political landscapes are just some of the issues facing us as we attempt to discern a pathway for the future. It can be daunting and paralyzing. But roadblocks and diversions are not new challenges for true disciples of Christ … those who seek to be a prophetic people. In 2007, prophetic guidance was given to the Community of Christ in which we were warned about being distracted by such issues:
God is calling for a prophetic community to emerge, drawn from the nations of the world, that is characterized by uncommon devotion to the compassion and peace of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Through divine grace and wisdom, this faith community has been given abundant gifts, resources, and opportunities to equip it to become such a people. Chief among these is the power of community in Christ expressed locally in distinctive fashions while upholding a unity of vision, foundational beliefs, and mission throughout the world.
There are many issues that could easily consume the time and energy of the church. However, the challenge before a prophetic people is to discern and pursue what matters most for the journey ahead.
Doctrine and Covenants 163:11
What matters most is the mission of Jesus Christ. Not my mission, not yours, not even the perpetuation of any congregation or denomination. What matters most is the mission of Jesus Christ.
Neither the rank one holds on the ships roster nor the size of the ship matters if we don’t pay attention to the lighthouse that has been put in place for our guidance and protection. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
I’m going to try and do a better job of paying attention to the “lighthouse.” How about you? After all, who better to guide our path than the one who created both us, and the pathway?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 12th, 2021
Broken Body Parts
pic by Tyler Neyens (flickr)
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. —1 Cor. 12:12-13
Though I am not a “clutzy” person in general, I have been known to do clutzy things from time to time. Who hasn’t stubbed their toe at least once in life? Right? I have not only stubbed my toe(s) several times in the past, I have broken bones, tripped and fallen to the tune of a few scrapes and bruises, sprained an ankle just walking, cut myself while cooking. You get the idea. The thing is that, with the possible exception of the bruises, I have engaged in some kind of first aid to bring relief and healing to the offended body part.
To my knowledge, I have never broken a toe, and I understand that even if I had, there is little that could have been done about it. Even so, I would have done whatever possible to limit the resulting pain… propped it up, put ice on it, favored it when walking. I don’t think that I would be able to simply ignore it or discount it’s importance or value while it was broken. Like with the cuts, scrapes, sprains, and bruises, I would hope for relief and healing so that I could be whole again.
Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend who, in his words, was “done.” He was tired of being hurt by “friends,” many of them members of the church who had apparently decided, by their actions and words towards him, that he was a “disposable” part of the body. There is no such thing!! If we stub our toe, we do not cut it off and move on. If we break our arm, we do not remove it and get on with life. We actively seek relief and healing.
How often have we hurt someone or been hurt by someone only to move on… thinking maybe that if we just ignore it, the hurt will go away. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the church in Corinth says, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
If the Body of Christ is to be whole, we have a responsibility to treat each other with love and kindness. Sure, we will have “clutzy” moments when we inadvertently cause injury to a part of the body, but we must seek relief and healing for those broken body parts. We must do everything within our power to provide space for repentance and forgiveness…healing and reconciliation… “encouraging and building each other up” (1 Thes 5:11).
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27)
Will you be the one to look to the broken body part and prop it up, put ice on it, favor it while walking this journey together? Life is too precious, friendships are too few, and sacred community is too valuable not to.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 5th, 2021
Walk the Woods at Night
Throughout my grade school and teen years, I spent a lot of my summer vacation attending church and scout camps. I have vivid memories (some pleasant and some a little scary) of walking the paths at night… sometimes when the moon was full and bright and sometimes when the moon was nowhere to be found. Suffice it to say that I was a very impressionable young boy, and open to the possibility of truth in the stories of nefarious things roaming the woods at night. So, when I read the following reflection by Job Bergstrom, Chaplain at Friendship Village in Schaumburg, IL., I connected with it immediately.
Chaplain Bergstrom writes…
“Years ago, I used to work at a camp in the Northwoods where the nights get very dark. Sometimes for fun I would try to walk down a path in the woods at night without my flashlight. It was a real spiritual exercise of trust. It forced me to slow down, be very aware of where I was stepping, and to trust my other senses that I often neglected. To walk the woods in the dark, you must slowly raise and lower your foot, asking “Am I still on the path? Are there obstacles in the way?”
Sometimes in our spiritual lives it is important for all of us to slow down and be deliberate – to act like we are walking in the woods at night. Slowing down allows us to reflect, to become more aware of ourselves and of God’s path, to move forward slowly, and examine if we are indeed on the right path. If we feel we are indeed on the right path. If we feel we are headed in the wrong direction, we can repent, turn around, and let God lead us.
Over time, I came to learn when walking the paths at night, that most often – even on the darkest nights – there would be a difference between the color of the trees and of the sky. So, if you walk with you head held looking up, you can see the break in the trees where the path is and use this as guidance and direction. Slow down, be deliberate, and fix your gaze toward the heavens. May we use [those moments of walking in darkness] as a time of repentance and returning our gaze upward, seeking direction as we await the rising sun and the dawning of God’s eternal light.”
When have you “walked in darkness?” What has served as guidance for your path forward? Was it something as subtle as the slight difference in color between trees and sky, or perhaps your practiced orienteering skills and the help of the stars in the sky? Was it the encouragement of a friend or the promise of God’s presence with you? Was it your natural intuition or a gift of the Spirit?
Maybe you haven’t yet found your way down the path. Whatever the case… know that you are never alone.
“Lift up your eyes and fix them on the place beyond the horizon to which you are sent. Journey in trust…” (Doctrine and Covenants 161:1a, Community of Christ)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 21st, 2021
Cicadas?!
Last night, as we sat out on our back deck relaxing at the end of a long day, my wife marveled at the intense quiet that surrounded us. Although we live in a neighborhood with many children and we are not far from a fairly high-traffic road, she said that she couldn’t believe that there was complete silence. Then, it was me that began to marvel, because I couldn’t believe that she… who normally has great hearing… could not hear the cicadas in the trees. From my perspective it was comforting, but far from silent. And I have an idea of what “silence” sounds like because I have been completely deaf in my right ear almost 30 years.
I asked her if she considered the constant humming of cicadas to be silent, and her response was, “what cicadas?” Knowing that there had been stories about the coming invasion of cicadas and being very familiar with the sound of cicadas from my youth, I had no doubt about what I heard. So, I pushed back a little, and she assured me that there were no cicadas…or any other noises for that matter.
I began to pay close attention, and soon realized that when we were talking, the buzzing of the “cicadas” went away. It was only in the midst of absolute silence that the buzzing came rushing back. Then, today, I was even more tuned in to the presence of absence of the buzzing “cicadas.” The reality was that if I concentrated really hard, I could hear the buzzing all the time…it was just louder when I was quiet. The reality is that I probably have some form of tinnitus, (Yes…I am hearing “things!”), but it also led to a teachable moment…
First, let me be clear… I do not in any way want to suggest that tinnitus and the quiet nudge/whisper of God are equal. One is obviously annoying and the other is not. However, I do see some similarities in my experiences of both. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, when I am in conversation or listening to music or otherwise engaged in some activity to which I am inclined to give my attention, I do not hear what is going on “in the background.” The same is true when I am caught up in doing things my way or on my own terms. My attention to “my” thing becomes a impediment to “God’s thing.”
How often, even in prayer, do we do all the talking…only allowing God to respond if and when we take a breath or when there is nothing else to distract us. Is it any wonder that we sometimes lie awake in the quiet of our beds or are woken from sleep with an epiphany moment … because that may be the only time in our day when God can get a word in edgewise?
There are times…even in the quiet moments… when I fail to hear the “cicadas” because I have inadvertently learned to tune them out in order to maintain my sanity. I wonder if there are days when I have inadvertently tuned God out in order to maintain control over my life. After all, God has a tendency to “call” me to do things that are outside my comfort zone or don’t fit my carefully planned schedule. Sound familiar?
I hear there’s really no cure for tinnitus, but apparently you can buy machines (even hearing aid like devices) that create sounds to suppress the noise (is it me or is that redundant?). Here’s hoping they don’t create a machine that can help the world tune out God. I think we are too often good enough at that on our own.
I’m committed to talking a little less and listening a little more. Maybe God will get a chance to speak. Until then… I’ve always got the “cicadas!”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 14th, 2021
“All-Inclusive”
Last week, my wife and I joined another couple for a vacation get-away in Mexico. It was a two-part vacation. The first three days were set aside to attend the wedding of my cousin’s daughter. The remaining time was spent at another resort in the area. We were very excited about the trip for several reasons, but among those reasons was the fact that we would be staying at two different “all-inclusive” resorts. It was a first (and second) for us.
Having never stayed at an all-inclusive resort before, we didn’t know exactly what to expect. All that we knew was that it meant that our food and drinks during our stay were included in the price of our room. That is, in fact, the technical meaning of “all-inclusive.” Consequently, that is all that the resorts were “required” to provide. What we found in our time there is that “all-inclusive” can mean so much more.
Both resorts provided endless options…and quantities…of food and beverage at no additional charge. Both offered 24-hour room service. Both had multiple pools with towel service and waiters who would get whatever we needed or wanted. Both provided an experience above and beyond any previous vacation experience. But there was a few differences … though our experiences at both resorts were great, there are a couple of things that made one stand out.
Upon entering the first resort, we were greeted by several employees. We were handed a refreshing cucumber (non-alcoholic) drink and taken to a comfortable seating area where we were allowed to sit and rest while our greeter checked us in. We were assigned a “host” for our stay whom we could call with any need. Each day, we received a communication or visit from our host making sure that everything was OK. Every member of the staff (from maintenance to manager) always greeted us with a smile and friendly words. We were treated as dignitaries at every turn. There was no distinction between us and any other guest on the property.
At the second resort, we actually had to check ourselves in. I know… can you believe it? But what’s more important was that we were given wrist bands. At first, we didn’t think much of it. We just assumed that it let the staff know that we were guests of the resort. We did notice, however, that even though all guests wore wrist bands, not all guests wore the same color wristbands. As it turns out, we had been “tagged” in a way that determined just how “all-inclusive” our experience would be. We did enjoy pretty good service… until we said “no” to the timeshare opportunity. Apparently, the potential to upgrade from a yellow wrist band to a gold, bronze, or black one was enough to secure faster, higher-quality service. But, when it was clear we would always be “yellow,” the special treatment ended.
Sure, we still had all you could eat and drink, but servers became harder to find. We had access to golf carts to get around the resort, but they took 2-3 times longer to arrive if at all. We could eat in any restaurant we wanted, as long as we had reservations…and someone with a classier wristband color didn’t beat us to the seat.
As a person who considers himself to be pretty “all-inclusive” when it comes to loving and accepting and honoring other people… the experience did make me wonder just how inclusive I really am. Do I welcome all I encounter as “dignitaries” who need no wristband to prove they are worthy of my time and hospitality, or do I engage people by the hidden meaning of their “wristband” (clothing, presence of tattoos and/or piercings, skin color, religion, gender identity, housing situation, physical attraction, apparent wealth or lack thereof…)? Am I truly “all-inclusive” as Christ was? Is my love and welcome as unconditional as God’s is?
How about you? Does you “all-inclusive” include only what is required, or is it so much more?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 31st, 2021
God Is…
Writing a weekly blog intended to provide encouragement, inspiration, and/or challenge requires that I remain vigilant in watching for the movement of God in the people and events and circumstances around me. Sometimes, the task is easy. As a matter of fact, I often find myself having to pick and choose from several possibilities brought about by the events and experiences of the past week. If I’m being honest, however, there are also weeks that I get to the task of writing and find myself having to search far and wide for a thought or a topic. Could it be that God is taking a break?
In a class I attended recently, it was mentioned that when asking others the question, “Where have you seen God in your life this week?,” the asker is often met with silence and blank stares. In the sharing of that observation, I was reminded of my own struggles to find God sometimes, and I began to wonder a little more deeply as to why this is the case.
Several possible answers were offered by the class participants. Some suggested it is because we have been conditioned to go through life either believing God is present at all times and in all things and therefore don’t give it much thought, or we are simply so blessed (privileged) that we don’t need to think about it… we just take it for granted… at least until we hit hard times and need God. Others suggested that perhaps folks were reluctant to speak about their experiences with God because they didn’t want to “toot their own horn”…they didn’t want to give the impression that their relationship with God was more or better than someone else’s. I think there are also some who are waiting for an earth shaking, life changing, undeniable miracle or sign that leaves no room for doubt. (Wouldn’t that be nice?)
The first disciples walked and served with Jesus, and yet they still asked for signs. The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted signs as well. Why should we be any different…right?!
All I can say is that I know from my own experience that God is always moving, albeit sometimes rather subtly, in our world and, more specifically, in our lives. It is not out of a sense of pride that I have noticed these things, but rather out of humility and awe that I testify to God’s goodness and faithfulness… to God’s presence in the everyday. I have seen God at work as I sat and quietly watched from my front porch… while standing in line at the grocery store… while sitting and talking with/listening to a friend … while participating in a march for justice… while watching young children at play without thought of skin color, religious preference, social/economic status, or gender identity.
It is in those moments I realize that perhaps I have not paid close enough attention as I have gone about my daily tasks. It is not God who has taken a break…it’s me?
If you are having trouble finding God moments in your life, stop… breathe…
listen… watch… serve… live. God is here. God is everywhere. God is in the big and the small… in the crisis and the celebration … in the laughter and the tears… waiting… loving… acting… forgiving… moving… creating.
If you’ve been taking a break, that’s OK. Just know that God is…(fill in the blank)!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 24th, 2021
Living Beyond the Pandemic
As I have shared before, there are many times when I have been deeply moved by the words that come “from the desk of…” somone else. Today was one of those days. The following comes from the desk of Kris Judd. It is a piece she wrote for the Order of Evangelists but agreed to let me share with you. Kris has served in many roles within the Community of Christ, and brings great wisdom to her current role as Evangelist. It is my prayer that you will be both deeply moved and deeply challenged by what she shares…
Easter this year truly felt like a time of resurrection. We celebrated this sacred day with sun and warmth, breaking the routine of gray, cloudy and dreary days. The privilege of receiving Covid vaccinations brought the anticipation of freedom and safety after a long and hard year. New beginnings were being offered and a reentry into “normal” life would soon be possible.
At the same time, these possibilities for re-entering life created anxiety within me. It was not about my personal physical safety, being around others who may or may not have received the vaccine. It was not physical anxiety – it was social and spiritual anxiety. Many expressed their eagerness to return to social events, weekly congregational gatherings and worship, life as it used to be. Such a return was exactly what was troubling my spirit.
The past thirteen months have doubtless been painful for many, if not all. There have been innumerable losses – jobs, earnings, stability, safety, time with family and friends, and the death of family and friends. We have lost the illusion of equity and equal access to resources and have had to come face to face with discrimination and bias that people of color and within ethnic groups face daily. The differences between rich and poor became clearer, as did the privileges that some of us unconsciously live with, without seeking or asking.
However, we have been given a once-in-a lifetime and once in a generation opportunity to reset the direction of our lives. We are invited by the Creator of all to examine the losses and learnings from the last year in light of God’s dream for creation. In the midst of a very difficult period in our individual and communal life come gifts that if acknowledged, embraced and lived into can lead us into Christ-like relationships and the peaceable kin-dom. What if there’s very little “normal” in our “return to normal”? What if God has imagined something far better for our lives? What are we invited to see?
As you consider your experiences over the past year, what is one 2020 gift you want to carry with you as you re-enter a life in your congregation and community? I invite you to prayerfully reflect as you look back through your calendar, conversations, and lifestyle. Consider those activities that brought you into deeper connection with Divine presence? What did you give up that used to drain your energy? What left you feeling more alive? What new awareness of needs within your community arose within you? What was it about your congregational experiences that fed your soul? What do you realize you need in order to be most fully alive?
I invite you into a period of examination to discern what gifts you’ve been given that you would like to incorporate into your way of life moving forward. Offer your awarenesses to God with gratitude for the chance to reset in this once in a lifetime event.
If you are interested, this video clip, The Great Realisation, offers a lovely reflection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5KQMXDiM4
Blessings to you as you discern what this pandemic has offered you for the rest of your life. — Kris Judd
For the week of May 17th, 2021
Reflections on the Vine
Continuing with the theme of gardening, today’s “From the Desk of…” comes from the desk of Tami Perryman, Pastor of the Mission IL congregation of the Community of Christ…
The Community of Christ congregation in Orange, California grows a small community garden where they plant strawberries and tomatoes and onions and cucumber. They also have a grapevine that grows along the wall separating them from their neighbors. When I lived there, I would often go into the garden to meditate, walking among the raised beds and enjoying the changes that I would see every week. I am not a gardener, so not knowing the difference between a weed and a vegetable, I took a strictly hands off approach to the garden. To be honest with you, I spent a lot of time out there because my husband, Craig would say that his meeting would be over at such and such a time, and then we would go out to eat. His meetings were always running late. Big surprise. In order to not get angry, I would take advantage of that time in prayer. Sometimes it even worked.
One evening, as I was walking among the garden beds, I realized that they had pruned the grape vines back to almost nothing. As I said, I am no gardener, but this seemed excessive to me, and also, no one harvested the beautiful grape leaves that could have been used for some good Greek cooking. I was not happy. Suddenly, I was not alone in the garden. I saw a man, pushing a young girl in a wheelchair into the church courtyard. There is a facility behind the church that is for children who have been in life altering accidents and can no longer function on their own. The man saw me, and apologized for trespassing. I assured him that he and his daughter were always welcome in the garden. He introduced himself and his daughter, and I spoke to her for a minute. She was on a ventilator, and couldn’t talk. She had been in a car accident and could no longer move or even breathe on her own. Her eyes were open, and we assumed she could see and hear, and her father told me that he brought her to the garden so that she might remember their garden at home. She loved helping her parents tend the garden before her accident. He said that he would take her hand and touch the grape leaves on the wall so that she could feel them, they were the only thing she could reach in her condition. He was sad about the pruning. And that was the moment that God took over. I said that I was also sad when I first saw it, but that I had hope that the vines would grow back even stronger than they were before and that the fruit would no longer be tiny and useless, but that it might grow large and plentiful on the vine. He started crying softly. That’s when he told me that the next day his daughter was going in to the hospital for an experimental procedure on her spine using stem cells. This procedure had had some limited success for other children in his daughter’s condition, but he had little hope that it would work for his child. Seeing the condition of the grapevines had intensified that hopelessness, but he realized that my words, God’s words, were true, and as a gardener, he knew it in his heart, he had seen it with his own eyes and suddenly he could believe that there was hope for his beloved child. We cried together and we prayed together and he left there encouraged for the first time since his daughter’s accident.
I do not believe that my God of pure love “prunes” us to separate us from him, but to help us grow stronger in our love and our faith. John 15:9-11 says “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” As someone who has experienced some painful “pruning” in the past, I know it is not something that I look forward to. It has tested my faith and caused me to call out to God in anger and frustration. I am not gifted with patience, remember the reason that I was walking in the garden that evening? But God is a patient gardener, and as he prunes, he wants us to remember that he is cutting away those parts that block out the sun and the sap the nutrients away from the part of us that bears the fruits of the spirit, the fruits of God. He gives us a new opportunity to grow. He watches over us and nurtures us and delights when we become stronger, more productive fruit on his vine. God’s blessings are never ending. His joy is in those blessings, especially when our joy can be complete.
For the week of May 10th, 2021
How Does Your Garden Grow?
There’s a guy in my neighborhood who seems to be a master at growing tomatoes in a raised bed garden. I missed the planting season last year, only to arrive in the neighborhood after the tomato plants had reached maturity and were loaded with very healthy tomatoes. As one who likes to garden, I wondered at the process this guy might have used to get such healthy high-producing plants.
This year, I have had the opportunity to watch the process, and I think I have an idea why his plants are healthier and more productive than mine. My planting process usually consists of waiting until the last frost has passed, planting established tomato plants, watering occasionally and then waiting for the harvest.
My neighbor’s process is much more methodical… consisting of many carefully calculated steps occurring over a period of weeks…each day moving a little closer to the intended goal. The first full week appeared to be dedicated just to preparing the soil… making sure that the soil had just the right amount of nutrients (each having come from a variety of sources) and that all the soil elements were well blended.
Each day in the weeks that followed unveiled another step in the gardener’s plan. There was no need to rush… a plan that had been thoroughly tested, patiently adapted, and carefully attended for years was firmly in place. One day saw measurements taken and stakes placed where the plants would find adequate space to grow and thrive. Another day brought about the installation of posts for the protective deer fencing… then the plants came… and the cages for the plants … and protective wrap for the cages to keep the plants warm on cold nights … then the deer fence…
I have to admit, most of my life, gardening wasn’t the only activity I had undertaken with an attitude of… “I’ll do what I can, when I can, and whatever comes out of it will be more (better) than not having done it at all.” Unlike my father-in-law who totally immersed himself in each and every hobby he enjoyed… reading everything he could find on the subject… investing in the proper equipment … and going about it with precision and planning, I have been, admittedly, less diligent.
Planting the seed of God’s love for all of God’s children and all of creation must be done with the type of patience and care that my neighbor uses in growing tomatoes and my father-in-law used when taking on a new hobby. God’s plan for us is tried and true. It is not the plan itself, but rather our execution of the plan that needs patiently adapting. Sometimes we just want to stir up the dirt, dig a hole, throw in a plant, throw up a fence and hope for the best. Thankfully, God doesn’t approach our planting and growth in that way. God is methodical, waiting for the right moment, taking careful measurements to assure we have the space we need to grow, offering the wrap of unconditional love to keep us warm and nurture our growth, and surrounding us with a sacred community that provides the diverse nutrients needed to assure a bountiful harvest.
In recent years, I have sought to change my ways and give my interests (as well as those things to which I am called as a disciple and a member of the Body of Christ) the attention necessary to bring about a bountiful harvest. Like the Apostle Paul, it is “not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil 3:12) I realize I have a long way to go!
In the meantime, I will seek to surround myself with folks who hold diverse perspectives and cultural traditions… providing me with “nutrients” for growth that are missing from my “soil.” I will make an intentional effort to take all of the steps to get to the intended goal… reading all that I can on the subject and investing in the proper “equipment.” The only thing I refuse to do is put up the protective fence to keep out unwanted visitors because I don’t believe that any visitor is unwanted in God’s garden. I may lose a tomato or two … I may even have a year without fruit, but that’s a risk I must be willing to take.
How about you?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 3rd, 2021
Removing Overgrown “Bushes”
I thought it would be an easy job. All I needed to do was to remove three overgrown bushes and plant two rose bushes in their place. It didn’t take long for all hopes of an “easy job” to be discarded as my shovel encountered immediate resistance on the first plunge. For about a half of an hour, I moved the shovel from one spot to another around the bushes, desperately seeking a soft spot or a point of entry. Then, I spent the next several hours … actually the rest of that day … thinking of how to accomplish the task.
I started back on the project the next day with a list of options that I thought might work. None of them provided the success for which I had hoped. The good news is that I finally got the bushes out and the roses in. But, it wasn’t because I had overpowered them … it wasn’t because their tenacious roots finally gave way to my brute strength … and it had nothing at all to do with me being bigger, stronger, or better in any way. Rather, it had everything to do with the fact that I eventually realized that there was no easy solution… it was going to require something more of me.
The roots had not grown overnight, and the systems of support they had formed in order to survive were intricate and protective. When we see drawings of trees and their root systems, the roots are often portrayed as separate … each going in a direction straight out from the base … never crossing or mingling. That was not the case with the roots of these bushes. The description “root ball” was way more accurate. The roots were intertwined. They started off in one direction and then turned abruptly going who knows where. Attacking the “problem” from above with a large instrument was futile. What I needed was a hand spade and a pair of clippers … patience and determination … focus and careful attention. Short of using a tractor to pull them out and causing irreparable damage to the surrounding lawn, there was no better way.
Sometimes I think we’ve been conditioned to go at problems with “quick and easy” solutions. It does make sense. It would seem that the bigger the tool or implement used to get to the root of the problem, the better. However, if I had insisted on continuing to go at the bush removal with a shovel, I would have eventually given up and had to find a new home for the roses. Instead, I found myself on my knees carefully removing soil and clay, and exposing the roots so that I could see how to remove them. The result was an area of fertile ground where something new could grow.
Our world, and subsequently the church, is confronted with a long list of “bushes” that need to be removed so as to make room for something new to grow. Though we may not have planted those bushes, we have often benefitted from their shade. That said, our faith and beliefs require that we get on our knees and carefully remove the soil and clay into which the roots of those “bushes” (racism in particular… and all the other “isms” for that matter) have grown, so that we can remove them and make space for God’s sacred community. We cannot give up because the work is hard or seemingly impossible or “back-breaking” or uncomfortable. It will be all of those things. But it is to that work which we are called… to make room for something new where all of God’s children (and all of creation) can experience the abundant life for which Christ gave all that he had.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 26th, 2021
Closed Doors and Untouched Grasslands
While recuperating from recent surgeries, I had a little more TV time that usual. One of the shows that captured my interest was The Crown. In one particular episode, the royal family, in an attempt to justify their salaries to a doubting nation, allowed cameras behind closed doors to see the “real” daily life and work of the family. The resulting documentary backfired a bit. Rather than bring about the endearment they had hoped for, by removing the “mystery,” the public was left with wanting. No longer was there any room for imagination or awe. The truth was plain…they were just eccentric people living an extravagant life.
A similar thing happened right in my back yard. No, the royal family didn’t come for a visit. Our yard backs up to a meadow that, since our arrival here, has held mystery and intrigue. The dry grasses typically stand somewhere between five and six feet, and block the view of what lies below and beyond. Recently, we received word from the township that there was going to be a “controlled burn” of the grasslands. In the days and weeks that followed, the grasslands were cleared. Except for a few feet of grasses on our side of a small creek, what lies beyond is now simply a barren field. Gone is the mystery of what lies beyond. Anything… exciting or scary… that might have lurked there has moved on. There is nothing left to the imagination. The awe is gone. I am left to wonder if, when the grasses have returned, the mystery will return as well.
I also wonder in moments like these why we work so hard to uncover the mystery of God… to take our cameras behind closed doors or to engage in a “controlled burn” of our previous understandings of God. While I do believe it is important that we strip away the things that humanity … in its desire to prove its knowledge, its power, and its perceived authority… has written into the story of God as a means of being in control, I also believe we can go too far.
Thankfully, unlike the royal family or the grass fields, God is beyond our full knowing and comprehension. With the royal family, we see only what they want us to see. With God, we often see only what we want to see. In the case of the grasslands, we are left to believe that, once the grass has been burned away, we see all that there is to see. But, the reality is that we cannot see the habitat and ecosystem designed by God that still exists in some form even though it is not apparent to the casual passerby.
This is all to say that there is great value in mystery, imagination, awe, and ultimately… in faith. We were never intended, at least in this life, to see behind the closed doors or to burn away that which seemingly blocks our view. When the doors are open and the grasses are cleared, we begin to think we know the fullness of reality, and in doing so we gain a false sense of security. In the end, if we are not careful, we perceive that we have lost our need for God.
Sure, with increased knowledge, we can walk on the moon, cure diseases, build skyscrapers, and split atoms, but we must always remember, it is God that is the source of that knowledge. Without God, there is no mystery. Without mystery, there is no sense of awe. Without a sense of awe, there is no curiosity. Without curiosity, there is nothing new, and… well … what is the joy in that?
Personally, I prefer that a few doors remain closed and a few grasslands remain untouched. That way I never get to the point of thinking I know God well enough that I no longer need God. How about you?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 19th, 2021
New Rhythm and Balance
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. (Luke 10: 38-40a NIV)
Just a little over a year ago, I was averaging between 2500 and 3000 miles per month in my car. Then came the “stay-at-home” order and my car time was drastically reduced to only the absolutely necessary trips and/or ministry needs. I had always enjoyed my “car time,” as it allowed time for quiet meditation, reflective thinking, and long conversations with God… some of which were admittedly interrupted, albeit briefly, by loving pastoral thoughts for those with whom I shared the road.
With the exception of the “loving pastoral thoughts” regarding other drivers, I found ways (long walks, quiet afternoons on the back deck, time with family, etc.) to accomplish those tasks that had occupied my endless hours on the road. I have to admit, even though I thoroughly enjoy the people and places at the end of those long car rides, I didn’t really miss being “stuck” in traffic.
Then, at the beginning of the year, problems with my vision put my driving on hold all together. For just over two months, my average monthly mileage dropped to zero. I thought I would hate having my keys taken away, but I didn’t. Perhaps that was because I knew it wasn’t a forever thing. But I’d like to think it also had a little to do with the fact that I learned to enjoy the “extra” time in my schedule… time for family, time for self, time for God. I was developing a new rhythm for life… a new balance.
Fast forward to two days ago when I set off on my first driving expedition in a while. As I drove, I thought about all the places I could or should go. I began to make a mental list of all the visits I could now schedule… all the ministry ideas that I could now pursue. Before I knew it, my virtual calendar was filled. Not only did I have the new online expressions of ministry that began during the pandemic, I now had an open door back to all of the things that kept me busy in the past, as well as a host of new ideas for things yet to come.
What about the new rhythm and the new balance? Were those just a myth I had created in my head to cope with the fact that the world was different… at least for a little while, or had God used this opportunity to open my eyes to a sustainable rhythm and balance in my life that would honor and allow me to fulfill all that God had created me to be and to accomplish.
So quickly I become distracted, even excited, by all the “preparations that need to be made”… the ministries that need to happen … the people that need to be visited. I easily forget the words Jesus spoke to Martha in her frustration with Mary – essentially telling her that busyness wasn’t the most important thing. It was more important in that moment to spend time resting in God’s (Christ’s) presence.
Staying connected is just as important as, if not more important than, staying busy. I can’t say that I’m going to become like Mary. It’s not in my nature to stop and sit at Jesus’ feet for any longer than absolutely necessary. Besides, I can always “catch up” with him in the car. Right?
We all need to go about our relationship with God and our participation in Christ’s mission in ways that work for us. However, we must guard against the temptation to go back to old ways… driving and being driven … forgetting the new rhythm and balance we have been blessed to experience.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 12th, 2021
Behind Locked Doors
Original picture, Locked Door, found on Flickr, CC License
As I walked my neighborhood this afternoon… praying for those who lived in the houses I passed, I wondered how many were actually home. I know that lots of people are working from home, and I did see some cars, but overall the neighborhood was very quiet. There was no one to be seen. Consequently, I was reminded of a phrase from this past week’s lectionary Scripture from the Gospel According to John (20:19),
“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews…”
The writer of John’s gospel is the only one of the gospels to tell the story in this way. Of course, I have no idea if it is the most accurate telling of the emotional condition in which the disciples found themselves after Jesus had been “taken” from them. They didn’t scatter. They didn’t go about their business as if everything was fine. They didn’t dive right into their apostolic duties. They gathered in a room and locked the doors because they were afraid. This event which had come as a surprise in spite of Jesus’ continual proclamations that it was inevitable had stopped them in their tracks.
Imagine the emotions, in addition to fear, which they must have felt… doubt, betrayal, anger, abandonment, sadness, disappointment, desperation, confusion… just to name a few. But who can blame them… really?
I would venture to say that most of us, if not all, have had at least one experience in our lives when the emotions of the moment stopped us in our tracks. Perhaps that experience was during childhood, but fear doesn’t end with childhood. Adults deal with fear of loss (relationships, jobs, financial stability, purpose), fear of rejection, fear of irrelevance (to our kids, to our coworkers, to our companions and friends)… all of which can be stifling if even for only a moment.
These things become the locked doors behind which we hide. These are the things that keep us from being able to live into the fullness of who God has created us to be. These are the things that keep us from having the confidence to “do the right thing,” or to step out in faith and courage in order to try something new, make a new friend, reconcile a broken relationship, or simply be the living, loving presence of Christ in the life of someone in need. These are the things that cause us to stay in our “comfort zone,” even if that zone is not really comfortable. It’s no wonder since we’ve all heard some version of the saying “better the devil that you know than the devil you don’t.”
I have no idea if the people in my neighborhood were “locked behind closed doors” out of fear, or if they were just engaged in other things… most, it’s the latter. But that’s not really the point. The point is that there are things in our lives that become as “locked doors” behind which we hide in order to avoid that which makes us afraid. In those moments, if we have faith…even if it’s mixed with a few other “crippling” emotions, Christ makes his presence known in our lives through the presence of the Holy Spirit which he breathes on us… giving us everything we need to accomplish all that he is sending us to do. If we will receive the gift of Christ’s presence in our lives, we will find a way to throw open those locked doors, and move out in faith, having “the courage to risk something new and become a blessing of Christ’s love and peace.” (Mission Prayer – Community of Christ)
What is/are your “locked door(s)?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 5th, 2021
Resurrection
Tis the season to ponder the idea of resurrection. As Christians, we often limit our understanding of resurrection to that which we celebrate on Easter morning… the resurrection of Jesus Christ… the day when Jesus overcomes the power of death and is “raised up.”
But to do so is to forget Jesus’ words to Martha after Lazarus had died. We find some very important words regarding resurrection and being raised up in the Gospel according to John, chapter 11. Upon Jesus’ arrival in Bethany…
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’
Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’
Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
For the past several months, I have struggled with multiple health issues… none of which were ultimately life-threatening due to the care of my attending physicians. But, for those who know me… being required to lay face down for weeks on end… being unable to drive myself somewhere for any reason (emergency or whim) … having to refrain from lifting heavy items or anything else considered at all strenuous … was a form of death dealing for me who likes to be on the go… to be with people … and to respond on a moment’s notice when needed. I had days where I felt I might as well have been locked in a tomb, shrouded in darkness, unable to live life to its fullness.
What I realized is that each time I began to feel “down” and depressed, God by way of the Holy Spirit raised me up in faith. I remembered how blessed I am even in times of trouble. Like Jesus, God didn’t come down and take me off of my “cross.” Rather, God watched over me, stayed with me, encouraged me… and ultimately raised me up.
Ironically perhaps, my last heart procedure took place on the Thursday before Good Friday. I joked with a friend (perhaps irreverently) that while others were observing the day when Jesus was put on the cross, I was experiencing my own resurrection. Maybe it was best that I get mine out of the way so as not to upstage Jesus. My friend laughed awkwardly. My guess is that he feared I might be struck by lightning.
I suppose that’s a possibility, but isn’t it also a possibility that resurrection is the exact thing that God through Christ intends for all of us in those moments when we are down, emotionally drained, physically oppressed, spiritually lost? Isn’t it a possibility that the man who was recorded to have said, “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (11: 26), and “I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves” (17:13) and “glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (17:1b-3) … Isn’t it at least possible that he wanted each of us to experience the power of resurrection for ourselves?
I don’t know what may be getting you down (generations of oppression, loss of a loved one, job insecurity, rejection, health concerns, or just the stress of everyday life), but I pray that In this Easter Season, you may know the life giving power of resurrection and new life in Christ… by faith… and with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 22nd, 2021
When Worry Creeps In
photo by: Robert Thompson (flickr.com)
Let’s face it, worry is a part of all of our lives to some extent. Some are better at hiding it than others, and some may even have fully convinced themselves that there is nothing to worry about, but I imagine that everyone has worried about something (if not about something “grown up,” at least most children have worried about getting caught for doing something they shouldn’t have or telling a “fib”… which is not to confused with having told an all-out lie! No good Christian would ever do that…right?!).
The more mature Christians in our company may even quote scripture that relates the assurance that worry is unnecessary. Scriptures such as…
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7 (NRSV)
Or…
“…do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6: 32-34 (NRSV)
Though these are beautiful words to hear, and we, through our faith, believe them to be true and right, they are also hard to swallow by the young mother whose spouse has just died unexpectedly, or the individual struggling with multiple health concerns and few if any answers or solutions, or to the families who earn poverty level incomes and wonder from where their children’s next meal will come, or the LGBTQ teen who has been disowned by their family and kicked out of their home, or the refugee seeking asylum from the ravages of war and/or domestic abuse and only finding further exclusion.
I have been reminded of the presence of worry and the difficulty of rising above that worry because of my recent health issues. Why, I ask, should someone of my relatively young age be held back by compounding health concerns, when there is so much I want to be doing… so many people to whom I want to provide support and ministry?
Mine is but a minor “speed bump” in the overall scheme of life, and so many others suffer far worse events and issues… and yet worry still creeps in. I have the joy of being a part of a faith community that holds me in thought and prayer, offering grace when I need to rest … and yet worry still creeps in. I am fully aware of what the Scriptures teach about worry… not only from Sunday school but also from personal experience of the presence of God I my life… and yet worry still creeps in.
I can’t imagine the worry of those who don’t have the privilege and the faith community and the love that I have experienced in my life. I can, however, imagine how important it is that we who call ourselves disciples of Christ (or of any religion based on love for that matter) work to include others in circles of sacred community and love and welcome and acceptance so that the words of Scripture become a reality in the lives of all of God’s children rather than a seemingly hollow promise that leads to despair when it doesn’t come true in our time and in our way.
I love the way The Message puts the verses from Matthew 6 (quoted from the NRSV above)…
“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (vs. 32-34)
See if you can keep worry from creeping in by steeping your life in God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provisions. Only as you work to master that, will you be able to live in such a way that the words of Scripture come to life in visible and tangible ways that will be a model and a blessing to others.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 15th, 2021
See Dealer Now!
Over the last several months, I have rarely had need to drive my car. Having been in lock down for most of the past year, my car has become more of a driveway decoration than a mode of transportation. With few exceptions, it has sat idle in my driveway… sometimes covered with snow, and at other times shining in the sun. To all casual passers-by, it appeared to be ready for its next excursion.
Imagine my surprise when on a recent round of errands, every warning light on the dashboard began to blink. In addition to the warning lights, a series of messages began to come across the screen… “maintenance required”…then “check engine”… and finally (all within a short distance), “see Dealer now!” I thought the car was going to self-destruct, and yet it drove as if there was no problem. I’m embarrassed to say that it never occurred to me to look under the hood. (Obviously, cars aren’t my thing, but that’s not the point of the story.)
We dropped the car off at the mechanic and waited to find out what was causing the problem. As it turns out, though I had not been using the car, some rodents had. And, the result was that my car (or at least it’s electrical system) was being eaten up from the inside. The rodents, living quietly and unattended, out of direct sight had chewed through wiring and other essential elements that keep the car running. Though the car appeared fine on the outside, what was going on under the hood was taking its toll.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”
How often do we let things fester under the hood, all the while giving the appearance to others that everything is fine? Whether or not it is in an effort to avoid conflict or discomfort, to protect our pride, or to project an air of self-sufficiency, we often times allow little “rodents” (anger, distrust, envy, sadness, and feelings of isolation…just to name a few) eat away at our insides. And the longer we allow those things to make their homes under our hoods (in our hearts), the more damage that is done. Problem is, if we don’t pay attention to the warning lights, we may run as normal for a while, but eventually we shut down.
The thing is that God has so much more planned for us individually and as a community. Not to mention, God has given us instruction for “rodent” elimination.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, reminds them of “the way [they] learned Christ!”
“For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness…Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4: 22-24, 31-32).
I’ve always told my children, “You can’t control how someone else treats you. You can only control how you respond.” Allowing the “rodents” to make their home in our hearts only hurts us. It deprives us of the abundant life that God desires for all of creation.
If you’re having a “rodent” problem “under your hood” and your warning lights are going off, Don’t wait, “SEE DEALER NOW!”
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10)
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 8th, 2021
Is There One?
“Is there one who feels unworthy? Is there one who feels unknown? Is there one who feels uncared for? Is there one who feels alone?”[i]
I have always felt an affinity for those who find themselves “on the margins.” For a long time, I thought that was because I spent most of my childhood feeling like I was on the margins. I was overweight, had no athletic abilities to speak of, and preferred art and music to sports… not a great combination for a boy growing up in the south. Though I had “friends” in several social groups, I was not really a part of any group. I’d like to claim that, like the Apostle Paul, I [had] become all things to all people, so that I might save some,” (1 Cor 9:22) but the reality is that I was doing everything I could to fit in. The only one needing saving was me. Or so I thought.
Fast forward to adulthood where I have truly found out what it means to be “on the margins.” Not because I have experienced it myself but because my interactions with others… listening to their stories, sensing their pain, learning their truth…has shown me the real “margins.” I have come to realize that I am privileged enough to live my life without the worry of “what others might think.” Unfortunately, for so many in our world, our communities, our churches, and even our families, the margins are a never- ending reality.
Over the last months, I have emersed myself in studies on racial justice, and the lack thereof. It’s something I should have done long ago. I didn’t realize how much there was to learn. My affinity for those on the margins had for too long been something I had mostly spoken of but neither truly understood nor did anything about. Thankfully, I have surrounded myself with some folks who are helping me along on a journey of growth and understanding… of repentance and humility.
This past Sunday, our speaker shared her personal story of growing up working to find her place and to earn God’s grace and acceptance. Once again, I was faced with the reality of my own privilege. Don’t get me wrong, privilege comes with struggle, but at least in my case, my issues with “fitting in” seem a great deal less daunting in the context of the long list of ways in which women, people of color, first nation peoples, persons in the LGBTQIA2S+ community, and others have been marginalized or excluded.
The hymn text I began this week’s blog with was written by Ken Medema along with the youth who gathered for the Community of Christ International Youth Forum in 2009. The last verse is a both a call to repentance and a challenge to be creators of sacred space where no one is left on the margins…
“We’ve so often failed at loving and ignored compassion’s call. Drawing back the hand of mercy, we have built dividing walls. Now we come to ask forgiveness and to claim renewing grace, and to say that all are welcome at this table, in this place.”
Can we honestly say that there is “no lack of grace” in the spaces which we create for community? As long as there is one who feels less than or left out, there is still work to be done!
Blessings,
Blake
[i] “Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?,” Community of Christ Sings, (Independence: Herald Publishing House, 2013), #526.
For the week of Feb 22nd, 2021
Losing Your Senses
If you were to consider your five senses… which one would you say you could not live without? I know, I know… there are a number of people who are born with a sixth sense… common sense … but that is clearly not universal (LOL). Most of us would probably say that we couldn’t live without any one of our senses. We know, however, that is not true as most of us have persons in our lives who have for some reason or another lost one of their five senses…or never had it at all.
Though I was born with at least five senses, (the sixth is often in question), I lost hearing in one ear almost 30 years ago, and the hearing in my other ear is not great because I failed to heed the warnings regarding loud music. Had you asked me before that if I could live without hearing I would have said absolutely not. I would say the same for all of my senses. Over time, of course, I have learned to live with my hearing impairment. Luckily, because I still have a “good” ear, it is only an impairment not a complete loss.
For the last couple of weeks, I have walked around with the feeling that I had something in my eye. Eye drops seemed to help some, but something just didn’t seem right. By the end of last week, the “something” had gotten quite annoying, and I began to wonder if there wasn’t something else going on. Turns out that the retina in my right eye had started detaching, and I was going to need surgery to repair it … the sooner the better. The doctor’s words were… “no retina… no sight.”
Even though I knew deep down that this was repairable, and that there was little chance I would actually lose my sight… I was horrified … for a moment. I am pretty sure I could not live without my eyesight. I have known many people in my life who either lost (or never had) their sight. I have been amazed at how they have adapted and/or found joy through their other senses. But, I realized in that moment, as never before, just how blessed I was to be able to see. And, if my eyesight was to change, I would hope it would be for the better.
I have found that there is so much beauty in this world … in creation… in people …. In community. I have found that I am a visual learner, and that a picture truly is worth a thousand words. I love to sit and watch people, and I marvel at the sight of simple things like mountain vistas, clear water streams, steeples on old cathedrals, colorful birds outside my window, the smile of a dear friend, a clear blue sky, and the surf at sunrise and sunset.
I also realize that there is so much left to see. I realize that on issues that matter in the lives of those I call brother and sister (racial justice, poverty, abandonment, isolation, homelessness, the environment, etc.), I have often walked around as if there was something in my eye…not clearly seeing what was in front of me, but also not realizing just how cloudy my vision was, or how urgent the need was to have my sight repaired and/or restored.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth said,
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (vs. 11-12).
Confronted with the loss of sight, I realized that in many ways I had been looking at the world through the eyes of a child (sometimes innocent and naïve). But, God calls me (and, I would argue, all of us) to put an end to childish ways of seeing the world and the struggles of our brothers and sisters in that world. I’ll get the retina fixed, but that’s not the only “sight” that needs tending. There is much to be done, and it will only happen if we open our hearts to “see” with clear vision that to which God calls us to pay attention.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 15th, 2021
Removing Wallpaper
Wallpaper can be a beautiful thing. In best case scenarios, it brings added beauty, pattern and texture, that would be difficult or even impossible to create with paint alone. In worst case scenarios, it can be used to hide blemishes and imperfections that would take otherwise considerable work to cover. It can either be a planned adornment or a quick fix. Though I must admit that the same could be said for paint, there’s something special about wallpaper.
This week, my wife and I decided to redecorate our guest room. Though we have used wallpaper at times in the past, our preference is to avoid it if at all possible. We have found that while the effect may be aesthetically pleasing, the process of removal is rarely pleasing in any way. What we thought would be a fairly quick task, turned into several hours of painstaking picking, pulling, wetting, and scraping. Parts of the wall below had been pre-painted, while other parts were either only lightly primed or not treated at all. It was also obvious that copious amounts of glue had been used. One might even think that the previous owners fully intended for the wall covering to be a permanent fixture.
To add insult to injury, as if the tedious removal of the paper were not trouble enough, when the wallpaper had been successfully removed, there remained a thick glue residue that had to be dealt with before full restoration could take place.
As I picked and pulled and cleaned, I was reminded of the times in my life that I found it necessary to put on “coverings” or “masks” that I believed would either add beauty to who I was or cover up the blemishes and imperfections I didn’t want others to see. In those moments, I was responding to a social standard that led me led to believe that who I am (or who I was), as created by God, was not good enough.
The problem is that, over time, the “masks” become harder and harder to remove. With time, the stories we create to hide our insecurities, our pain, our struggles, and even our sin become like layers of glue that are, at best, difficult to dissolve, and at worst, harmful to the very surface to which they have been applied. I think that it’s safe to say that If enough “layers of glue” are added, the resulting damage may be irreversible for us and for those we have tried to deceive. Either way, there is always an annoying residue left behind that must also be cleaned up.
Has someone convinced you to put on a mask… to create an alternate persona that offers a little “pattern or texture” or hides whatever you’re going through? If so, you’re not alone. Just remember, the removal process gets harder with each passing day and each additional layer of “glue.” What God has created in you doesn’t need covering up.
What I’m saying is, if you insist on using wallpaper, more power to you. Just be careful to prep the surface and don’t overdo the glue. You may realize someday that you want a different covering, or just maybe… you’ll decide that no covering is necessary. The wall is fine just the way it is… blemishes and all!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 8th, 2021
Clear and Simple
In a recent conversation with a friend, I was asked, “What is your relationship with evil?” At the risk of sounding flippant, my response was, “I don’t have a relationship with evil.” That is not to say that I don’t believe in evil, or that evil does not exist around me. That does not even mean that I am not guilty of having engaged (actively or passively, knowingly or unknowingly) in “evil” thoughts, actions, or systems. It does mean that I have made every attempt to give my attention and energy to what is good in the world. I acknowledge that I am far from perfect, but the only goal I am sure not to achieve is the one I never set out to reach.
I am not so naïve to believe that to ignore or to deny the presence of evil in our world will make it go away. I do believe, however, that we have a responsibility, a duty, and even a calling as a people of God to actively seek reconciliation and healing of the spirit in the lives of all of God’s children. Feelings and claims of entitlement will only serve to deepen the divide that is taking place among and around the people of God. Only through a determined focus on the promises of God and the good of all of God’s creation (not just spoken of, but lived out in our daily lives in relationship with others), do we have any chance of creating a just and peaceful world where all can thrive and experience the wholeness that God intended.
In his book “Rediscipling the White Church,” Pastor David Swanson writes that “making disciples … is about inviting people into intentional communal practices that both reflect and announce the Kingdom of God.”[1] Of course, Pastor Swanson is talking about Christian disciples, but I believe that all followers of God must work together to this end. How can we reflect and announce the Kingdom of God if we are focused on “evil.”
Yes…Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c reminds us that “there are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.” For me, these influences are evidence of evil… clear and simple.
So… let me be clear… I simply choose to be alert to the influences so as not to be caught off guard, but not to focus on them so much that they become central to my thoughts… replacing hope with despair, faith with doubt, and love with fear and hatred. I choose to “see violence but proclaim peace… feel conflict yet extend the hand of reconciliation… encounter broken spirits and find pathways for healing.”[2]
God created the world and said, “it is good.” Yes, evil crept in, but focusing on it only gives it power. Maybe, like a school bully, if it gets no response it will eventually give up. Until then, God’s promise of His constant presence with us through the Spirit, and Christ’s commission to share the hope of the Gospel with the world gives us all the alternate focus we need… clear and simple.
Blessings,
Blake
[1] Swanson, David W., “Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity,” (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 2020), p 18.
[2]
Doctrine and Covenants 161: 2a
For the week of Feb 1st, 2021
Something Needs to Change
I once heard a story about a newspaper company that decided to experiment with a new strategy. Having gotten tired of always reporting “bad” news… stories of crime, destruction, division, and death … they would focus their stories on positive happenings in the world and in their community. Long story short, they experienced a decline in readership as a result of this new strategy. The resulting assumption was that people preferred to hear about the bad stuff. Some would argue that it was because people in the midst of turmoil somehow feel better knowing that someone has it worse than them…that they do not “suffer” alone. If that is in fact true, it is a sad commentary on our society and our world… and a hint that something needs to change.
Anyone who has a social media account, a television, or even just an internet connection, may have noticed in this last year that the newspaper isn’t the only place to find negativity. Communication methods that were intended to share ideas, form community, and create global connections, have become (to varying degrees) places where some have found the freedom and courage to say and share things they might not otherwise say or share if face-to-face. Anger and frustration caused by physical separation, changes in routines, and a growing awareness of disparities between groups of people based on race, religion, socioeconomic status, and the like have begun to spill into our ever day interactions. Again… something must change!
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Philippi says “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (4:8) These are not just words for the people “back then.” There is great wisdom in these words for us today.
This is not to say that we ought to turn a blind eye to the bad in our world. To the contrary, we must always remember, acknowledge, call out, and work to end the systems and patterns that cause harm to others or that separate us from God’s will for creation. But if we are to be a part of bringing to pass the peaceable kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,” something must change … in the way we communicate with one another … in the way we see one another… and, in the way we respond to one another.
It is no wonder that there is a rising interest in television shows about cooking, travel, and other fun things. They focus on the positive. They give us a glimpse into a world where creativity and beauty and joy take center stage. In a recent piece for the Community of Christ’s Daily Bread Blog entitled “From Scarcity to Abundance,” Zac Harmon-McLaughlin writes… “When we live in a place of scarcity, all seems to be lost. When we move to a place of noticing God all around us and in all things, our vision is transformed. We see abundance!”[1]
Perhaps what needs to change is our perspective on the world, and the way we engage it and each other.
Blessings,
Blake
[1]https://www.cofchrist.org/blog/daily-bread#!/3780/from-scarcity-to-abundance
For the week of Jan. 25th, 2021
Reckless Abandon
In all of my childhood, I only remember seeing snow three times… at least live and in-person. When those times came my friends and I were ecstatic. We had to hurry outside and enjoy it, knowing that it wouldn’t last long if at all. I so hoped for a day when it would come and there would be enough to make a snowman or slide down a hill on a sled (probably more like a piece of cardboard as we didn’t own sleds). Did I mention that I grew up in Florida. A significant snow fall was highly unlikely.
I remember as a young adult being in the Philadelphia area at a friend’s house right before the Christmas holiday when I experienced my first significant snow. It was everything I expected and hoped for… snowmen (and women), sledding, tubing, skiing, snow angels, and snowball fights. I had been able to enjoy it with reckless abandon. Why? Because it required nothing of me. I didn’t have to drive in it. I didn’t have to shovel it. I didn’t have to live in it. When I was done “using” it for my recreational purposes, I got to go in and have hot chocolate, put on warm dry clothes and relax. I had no idea how much work was required… of others. Imagine my surprise when, after having moved to Kansas City, I found that snow had its drawbacks.
The thing about snow is that it can be both beautiful… lightly floating through the air, blanketing the ground in a fresh layer of untouched wonder, and providing an endless playground for children and adults alike… and a nuisance … requiring hours of seemingly endless shoveling, changing roads into dangerous ice slicks, and hiding a rich and diverse color palette with a monochrome backdrop of plainness that can lead to a feeling of depression. With responsibility comes changed and/or expanded perspective.
That’s life. Some of the things that bring the most joy require a great deal of work. It IS possible to get too much of what some perceive to be a good thing. Every thing (person, idea, culture, season, etc) has both pros and cons, the potential to bring light or to spread darkness, to offer joy or to take it away, to enhance community or to break it down.
Yesterday, I experienced both the joy and the hard work that comes with snow. Even as I shoveled the walk, the snow continued to fall. So… I continued to shovel… to uncover that which threatened to be hidden below, and to maintain a safe path for those who might pass by. No longer did I hope for snow. Gone was the lack of responsibility that allowed for reckless abandon. And yet, I was still able to experience joy. Perhaps my hard work of clearing the way for others might allow them to give way to reckless abandon… to experience the fullness of joy that God intended for all of us regardless of skin color, gender, orientation, religion, age, ability, or economic status.
When the “snow” is coming down, we have to keep “shoveling” so we don’t lose sight of the rich and diverse color palette of God’s creation. Even when the winter is more work than fun, we know that another season is just around the corner… and that new life lurks below the frost. My hope and prayer is that we can enjoy the beauty around us while engaging in the hard work that is required. At some point, the “snow” will melt, the seasons will change, and something new will make itself known.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 18th, 2021
Normal: An Ever-Moving Target
There are days when the words flow freely based on the inspiration of events and encounters in our lives. There are days when no words will come…when we are left speechless. And, as I have said before, there are times when someone else has already said what needs to be said. Words that capture the essence of what we need to hear and remember.
At least for today, I can think of no more appropriate words to share with you than the following, written by Grace Andrews of Independence, MO and found in the Daily Bread Blog for Thursday, January 14th. It is my prayer that you will read these words with full awareness of the importance of our love and care for one another… in spite of those things that would seek to divide us and discourage the creation of true sacred community.
We watched the horror of war on the black and white newsreel at the theater, searching for faces of loved ones. In those days, we paid 25 cents apiece to see two features, the news and a cartoon. We darkened windows at night to prevent any light shining through that might cause our home to be a target of violence. S & H Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps were coveted items. Our little corner grocery store had rationed items. So many other memories of that time and place. Do I want to go back to that “normal”?
In the midst of all of this there were happy moments. In our tiny house, as a child I remember playing Monopoly till midnight on New Year’s Eve. Then we quietly welcomed the new year in with prayer and ice cream (no fireworks). We experimented with cooking and baking, gathering vegetables from the garden and milk from the neighbor’s cow. We played Olie-Olie-Oxen-free, Hide and Seek, and rode bikes.
The years rolled by, and we tried valiantly to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck, holding carefully to our employment. We worked to keep some semblance of order in our home and ensure that our children were nourished, warm, and happy, making do with supplies we had on hand. We darned socks late at night. We hung clothes out on the line—then rushed them in when it began to rain. Do I want to go back to that “normal”?
We experienced our ultimate joy as our children accepted baptism. We celebrated birthdays and Christmas. We enjoyed family outings—a road trip to the ocean, collecting shells, walking on the beach, feeling the sand between our toes. Sometimes we simply drove the short distance to the airport to watch the planes fly in and out. We shared our children’s accomplishments in learning and school activities. After packing up and going to family camp with church friends, we sang in the car, watched awesome sunrises and sunsets, made s’mores on an open campfire. We sat in church, savoring the closeness of the congregation.
So, what is this “normal” that so many seem to wish to return to? Does it include all or just part of the above? Our new normal will likely be nothing like the “old days.” But as in days gone by, with courage and God’s help, we will be strong. We’ll accept a new normal, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Look to the future—do not grieve for the past. In changing our thinking, we are sure to find more joys than we can hold in our hearts.
Change is inevitable and often necessary, even with regards to what’s “normal.” But, in the midst of change, God is unchanging, ever present, and always leading us forward…together.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 11th, 2021
Chipping Away at the Ice
The last several weeks have brought a mixture of ice, rain, and snow…often within the same day. And, due to a number of circumstances (not excluding the ongoing weather patterns) we were unable to keep the driveway plowed/cleared. Those who have experienced snow and ice-covered driveways would know that driving over packed snow only makes things worse. What starts as a bothersome ice/snow mix quickly becomes hard impenetrable ice as passing tires temporarily melt the snow only for it to re-freeze harder than ever. Needless to say, when I finally got to the work of clearing the driveway, the task was not easy. As a matter of fact, there were parts of the ice pack that actually required the assistance of a sledge hammer to remove.
What might have taken thirty minutes to complete, now took hours. It took persistent work and determination, but waiting on some day in the unknown future for the ice to melt was not an option.
In the days since we cleared the ice, I have wondered how often we allow a similar buildup of “ice” or “stone” to take place in our hearts with regards to those who have hurt us or with whom we have had a disagreement.
Like the driveway in the midst of a snow/ice storm, our hearts become covered in something that grows more impenetrable with each passing “tire”… with each passing day. Unfortunately, unlike a driveway which must be used on a daily basis, and therefore ultimately requires a clearing, it is tempting to leave behind hurts and relationships that seem impenetrable. It seems easier to simply find another path forward.
We live in a world where we have been led to believe that hard work and determination, in reference to relationships, is often not worth the effort. There are, of course, “plenty of fish in the sea.” If we have a disagreement with a colleague at work, we can just quit and find another job. If we have a fall out with a friend, we can just walk away and find another.
What had formed on our driveway had become dangerous. So…we began chipping away at the ice. What begins to happen in our hearts when we allow small things to build up is also dangerous. It breeds distrust, resentment, anger, and ultimately… apathy. Yes, there are times when repeating patterns of behavior build the “ice” quicker than others, and there are also times when life gets in the way of the regular maintenance needed to keep the pathway clear.
Tension has been building in our country and in our world. For some, it has always been there, for some it seems to be something new. Whichever the case, we need to “chip away at the ice” before it gets too thick and the way seems hopeless. Relationships matter. Close friendships and sacred community are too important to allow to become too much work.
Wherever possible, don’t allow the ice to get so thick that you are tempted to find another path… chip away at the ice along the way. If, however, you have a relationship in your life that is beyond “maintenance level clearing”… by all means, get out the sledge hammer. There is great satisfaction to be found in breaking through the ice and clearing the way for safe passage and healing.
It may not seem like it right now, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 4th, 2021
Is it Time Yet?
What exactly is the appropriate time table for outdoor holiday decorating? Especially as it relates to Christmas decorations, when is the right time to put them up (after Halloween, after Thanksgiving, in December, before the weather turns cold) and when is the right time to take them down (the day after Christmas, New Year’s Day, the day after Epiphany, the end of January, after the last snow melts, when local ordinances say they must come down…yes there are such ordinances)? Some households have very strict traditions in this arena, while others appear to take their cues from weather patterns or openings in otherwise busy schedules. In our house, we tend toward a combination of weather patterns and time availability.
For those of us who keep them up until things warm a little, the question becomes, “when do you stop leaving the lights on at night?” This year, we decided to leave our lights illuminated through New Year’s Eve. (We have no interest in three unnamed wise guys following the lights to our house on Epiphany ,,, or any other night for that matter … although gifts are still welcome…LOL). I guess it depends on the neighborhood in which you live, and what it means for the people who will see it. In our previous home, we received a violation warning reminding us that all decorations must be taken down (not just turned off) within 30 days of the holiday. We now live in a new place, and this year, a neighbor posting on the “Nextdoor” app made an urgent plea for all of the houses in the neighborhood to “please leave your lights on a little longer…we could all use a little extra joy.”
There’s a message in this that goes far beyond Christmas decorations. This past week’s lectionary scripture came from John’s Gospel (1:1-5)…
“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 into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Of course, there comes a time when the Christmas lights need to be taken down. If we left them up all year, they would cease to be special. That said, there never comes a time when the “Christ” lights that are within us should be extinguished or “taken down.” Our world is in deep need of the light of Christ to shine brightly and overcome the darkness that threatens to take root in the hearts of humanity.
As recorded In Matthew 5:14, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us…
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
The question of the appropriate time frame for outdoor Christmas lighting is sure to continue on… answered in different ways for different reasons. When it comes to Christ’s light, however, it is not yet, nor will it ever be, time to extinguish that light.
May your days (and nights) be filled with the Light of Christ, and may the illumination of that light continue to bring joy to those who need it.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 28th, 2020
Update Required
Each week when I sit down to write this blog, I draw on inspiration from the week. From time to time, the best inspiration comes through the writing of others. A couple of days ago, I was reading the Daily Bread Blog on the Community of Christ Website, and the author for that day happened to be a friend of mine, and the words she wrote seemed especially fitting for what is the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. I hope you enjoy this reflection by Nina Warriner of Bath, NY. Nina writes…
“I consider myself moderately computer literate. I am pretty comfortable with what I know but seldom purposely go looking for new applications. I don’t like to run updates and typically put them off until my computer forces them, mainly because things end up looking or functioning differently. I begrudgingly have to adapt to the changes or spend a lot of time trying to get my computer “back to the way it was.” There are times I struggle with my computer and ask myself, “What if there is no going back?” A better question would probably be, “What if going back ultimately means not moving forward?”
In the early months of church closure and reunion cancelation, I definitely felt a sense of loss. I desired to gather in sacred community. Yet as I reflect, I realize that sacred community has still existed; it has just “looked different.”
I have had the opportunity to worship with brothers and sisters from different states, time zones, and even different countries without needing to travel anywhere. I have been blessed to listen to stories of love, pain, hope, injustice, courage, and faith. I have been enriched with a diversity of connections and people sharing from their personal passions. I have had the opportunity to draw my circle wide and create new, authentic, meaningful relationships.
Instead of desiring to “go back” to the “default setting,” I’m asking myself, what about these experiences should be considered an update or maybe even an upgrade? Our spiritual journey is one in which we are continually challenged to reflect on our inward selves—our hardware and inner programming—so our outward selves—the applications of our lives, our functionality—are current, relevant, and the best upgrades we have to offer.
We need to save the good “settings” and “updates” so we don’t find ourselves simply relying on our “default” mode, especially if “going back” doesn’t move us forward!
Where is the Spirit trying to “run new updates” in me?”[1]
Where is the Spirit trying to “run new updates” in you?
Blessings,
Blake
[1]Warriner, Nina, “Spiritual ‘Upgrading,’” as found at www.cofchrist.org/daily-bread#!/3745/spiritual-“upgrading,” Dec. 28, 2020
For the week of Dec. 21st, 2020
Company is Coming
We used to have a sign hanging in our house that said, “Cleaning the house while raising kids is like shoveling the walk while it’s snowing.” It seemed like a logical rationale (a.k.a. excuse) for the clutter that always found a place in the day-to-day hectic schedules that dictated our lives. As a child, we knew company was coming when mom started to bake. It was never safe to assume that the cake or cookies in the oven were just for us. For my children, de-cluttering became the signal that company was coming. Even though we would talk about how nice it was to enjoy the peace and comfort that comes with a clutter free home, life would take over, bad habits would resurface, and the clutter would return.
The kids are grown and have moved out now, so the “shoveling snow” analogy no longer works. And yet, if we are not careful, it is easy to return again to our old ways…allowing flat surfaces to become temporary “storage” places for miscellaneous items. (Clutter sounds so much less troublesome when you put it that way!) For us, the key to a decluttered life is living every day as if company is coming… or, in case of emergency… taking everything to the basement, closing the door, and making sure no one goes down there. At some point, however, even the basement clutter needs to go.
In our case, until recently, we still had a number of unopened boxes from a summer move, and the basement had become their home. We couldn’t have company in the basement if we wanted to. So, we committed to taking on the task of making our whole house ready for “company.” It was time to open all of the boxes and either put the stuff away or get rid if it. Given current recommended restrictions on casual in-home gatherings due to the pandemic, it is not likely that we will need the space for company in the near future, but it’s best to be prepared.
Jesus reminds us that no one but the Father knows the day nor the hour when “company” will come. Sure, at this time of year we are prepared. We have put away the clutter, “decked the halls,” prepared the nativity, wrapped gifts, sent cards, filled the air with Christmas carols and hymns, and baked cookies and cakes. We are ready for company to come!! And, because of our faith, we celebrate the news that the greatest “company” imaginable is on his way.
Celebrate, rejoice, sing, eat, zoom … but don’t forget that the promise of Christ’s “coming,” though celebrated specifically in the Christmas season, is a daily promise. One of my most beloved memories of visits to my grandparents home was a picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. Every time I saw that picture, I was reminded that “company was coming.”
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to [them] and eat with [them], and [they] with me..” (Rev. 3:20, RSV adapted).
When Christmas is over, and the decorations have been put away, what flat surfaces in your life will need to be de-cluttered so that your whole house is ready for whatever company may come?
May the preparation you have made for the celebration of Christ’s birth, be more than a seasonal practice. Spread the word… Company is Coming!!
Merry Christmas,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 14th, 2020
Scrape, Glue, Rebuild, Decorate!
Image by: Ellen Smith
Last week, my wife and I sat down with our adult children to engage in what has become a tradition in our family… building and decorating gingerbread houses for Christmas. I’ll just be up front and say that we buy kits. We have not gone so far as to bake our own gingerbread. This year, one of my daughters purchased the kit and brought it with her. Rather than the typical large gingerbread houses that are easier to manage, she decided to purchase a “village” of smaller houses so that we could each build our own.
In the past, the building of the house has been quick and easy. We are usually able to spend the majority of our time decorating. That was not the case this year. Although, in the past, the icing that comes with the kit served as an acceptable “glue” to hold the house together, no amount of icing was working. We even used extra from the pantry. Each of us was having some luck getting the sides of the house to stand up, but when the roof was added, everything came tumbling down.
We laughed to keep from crying. We laughed with each other and, to be honest, at each other. More than once, I was ready to throw a few sprinkles on the pile of icing covered house pieces and call it “done.” But then I had an idea… what if we used a little hot glue to do the work. Since we had no plan for actually consuming the gingerbread when we were done (none of us like gingerbread), what would it hurt. So, we began to scrape away the caked-on icing and replace it with glue. Slowly but surely, the little village began to take shape. With a little time, a little glue, and a lot of sprinkles, no one would ever know the struggle endured in the process.
Our lives and relationships can be a lot like the little village of gingerbread houses. We cover them in colorful “icing” hoping that they will hold together. We laugh at little annoyances to keep from crying, sometimes pretending that everything is ok. But when too much weight is placed on top, the structure may not be strong enough to withstand the pressure. The structure needs something a little more dependable… a little glue. Then, we can allow the “decorations” to fulfill their intended purpose… to beautify, enhance, boost, and enrich what has been firmly secured.
Do you have relationships in your life that stand the test of time and struggle? Are there people in your life to whom you could honestly say, “our relationship matters more than any issue?” What is the “glue” hidden beneath the “trimmings” which holds that/those relationships together? Which other relationships in your life deserve a little glue?
Maybe there’s a relationship in your life that is worth spending a little time scraping away the “icing” that has been poured on for appearances so that you can strengthen the “house” which lies beneath. Even fallen “houses” can be rebuilt with the right materials. And yes, that includes the “house” you share with God.
Start things off right this Christmas season by making use of the glue that God provided… Jesus Christ.
Scrape, Glue, Rebuild, Decorate!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 7th, 2020
Todays letter is especially intended for those who are hurting and finding it difficult to experience joy in this season…
Someone recently said that perhaps when this (the global pandemic) is all over, we’ll look back and find that there were at least some positive outcomes. My first thought was, what could possibly be a positive outcome of all this separation and loss. So many have lost loved ones to the virus. Some have lost loved ones to other illnesses, but because of Covid-19, were unable to be with their loved ones in the last days of their lives, or to celebrate/mourn their lives in healing and/or culturally appropriate ways. Still others have lost their jobs, their sense of security, their homes, their hope.
Some among us are able to turn our thoughts toward the new or strengthened relationships we have been able to build through online technology, the bits of extra time that allows us to reach out to friends and loved ones by phone, send a card, or sit a little longer at the dinner table with immediate family. It is in these and other intentional actions that we are able to overcome the despair that threatens to take hold in our world. It is important to remember, however, that the inability to find joy… to turn one’s heart toward brighter things in the midst of despair ought not to be seen as an absence of faith. Quite the contrary. Though it may not be apparent, it takes a great deal of faith to give ourselves permission to doubt and question and struggle and grieve even in the midst of the all that we know to be true in our hearts… that we are not alone … that we are loved and cherished by God.
So… I have begun to look for positive outcomes… for “silver linings.” One of the silver linings for me this season is that I was able to decorate for Christmas a little earlier. There have been years when our tree and lights have gone up within a week of Christmas and, in those moments, we have wondered, “why bother?” The reality is that all the time saved from being in the car travelling around to different churches was put to good use. This year, we have been able to enjoy the lights longer than usual.
I know that for some, the sacredness of Christmas can be lost in all of the lights and decorations and music and shopping. But, for me, it is a source of hope and joy. It can be what retailers try and make it, or it can be what I need it to be. Rather than being a distraction that keeps me from remembering the “reason for the season,” it reminds me of the hope that comes with Christ as he enters our world every day through the light and life of others…in unexpected ways…in unexpected places.
All the silver linings in the world will not bring back what we have lost. They will not replace the need to grieve. BUT…they can give us hope and joy for what is possible in the days ahead if we allow that which is being born (the Christ child) to come to life in and through us.
God is with us in our brokenness, in our humanity, in our struggle, and in our loss.
As David says in Psalm 30…
“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning… [God has] turned my mourning into dancing…taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy so that my soul may praise [God] and not be silent.” (vs. 5b, 11-12)
Know that even when joy is hard to find…God wants to do the same for you!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 30th, 2020
Here We Sit…
Picture: https://www.needpix.com/photo/1642432/
Here we sit like birds in the wilderness,
birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness.
Here we sit like birds in the wilderness,
waiting for… (fill in the blank).
Bring back memories? You can thank me later if you now have an annoying tune stuck in your head that you just can’t shake! At least I won’t be alone. Though I don’t have any particularly bad memories associated with the song, I can honestly say that it was never one of my favorites. Needless to say, I’ll be happy when another tune … any tune … takes its place in my head.
When the song first came to mind, I couldn’t remember how the lyrics ended. There were several possible endings that came to mind, each one sounding just as plausible as the other. Having learned as a youth minister that songs are sung in slightly different ways depending on where you come from, or who taught it to you… I thought that perhaps “all of the above” was the correct answer for my memory search. To be sure, I went to the internet to see if there was a “correct” way to end the song. What I found was a larger variety than I had even imagined on my own. It seems like “fill in the blank” is the best way to capture the essence of the song in all its versions. It just depends on what you are waiting for in the moment.
This has been a year full of waiting… for news that the pandemic was coming to an end … for a return to some sense of normalcy … for a vaccine … for a face-to-face reunion with friends and family … for a handshake or a hug (or several) … for an end to violence against people of color … for a new understanding of the importance and richness of cultural diversity … for sacred community where we can be our true selves without fear of ridicule or discrimination, for ____________ (fill in the blank).
Now that Advent has come, we find ourselves waiting yet again. Here we sit like birds in the wilderness… waiting for Christ to come. This waiting is different though. This waiting is for something that already happened many years ago, and, I would argue, continues to happen in various ways every day. So, this waiting is more about anticipation than blind hope. This waiting has a definite “happy ending.” Or, should I say a happy beginning?
Sitting and waiting doesn’t have to be a bad thing … captured in a whiney song (my apologies to those who have an affinity for it). What if we took the time to sit and listen or sit and watch for what has already come? What if we lived in expectant anticipation … not wondering whether or not that which we hope for will come… but celebrating all the ways in which the one we hope for (Christ) comes into our lives every day?
How will you live in this Advent season? Will you keep your expectations low so as to avoid potential disappointment, or will you keep your expectations high… stay alert … watching, listening, and anticipating that which God has promised … to come and live among us? Something tells me that’s worth watching and waiting for!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 15th, 2020
Mulligans, “Do-Overs,” and Second Chances
Picture by: Andrew Cosgriff
The Apostle Paul said,
“The gifts [Christ] gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”(Ephesians 4:11-16)
Because we believe that the scriptures were given for our edification and growing understanding of God and God’s faithfulness as well as God’s call in our lives, we ought also to believe that Paul wrote these words because of a need among the believers in Ephesus to “mature.” Their mistakes were not caused by unfaithfulness or even unrighteousness alone, but because their world gave them so many choices and theories about right and wrong that they were missing the mark…they were confused. They needed, as do we all … mulligans, “do-overs,” and second chances.
One thing that I’ve learned over my years of ministry is that understanding God is a journey not a destination. Try as we might, until we stand before God face to face, we cannot know the height and depth and breadth of who God is. As Christians, we can only mature in our understanding by continuing to move toward the peaceful one… Jesus Christ.
On that road, we will likely encounter obstacles, misinformation, and what appear to be reasonable substitutes for truth. We will make mistakes… we will misunderstand … we will stumble. We will nneed grace … we will need mercy … and, we will need mulligans, “do-overs,” and second chances … from God and from each other.
I have yet to find a person who didn’t need one of these at some point in their lives. Maybe you’re the exception… or maybe you think you are. My sense is that it will not do for any of us to act as if we are exempt, for we are human.
Maya Angelou once said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
That may be the best we can hope for on this journey… to do better. We MUST do better. We must extend love, and grace, and mercy. We must offer welcome, and hospitality, and acceptance.
If we are to “come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ,” so that we can be a beacon of hope and light to the world, we’re going to need mulligans, “do-overs,” and second chances.
Where in your life might you
need to offer these to others in your life?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of November 8th, 2020
It is No Longer I
We are not the first, nor will we be the last, “community” of people to make distinctions between ourselves and others, and hold the expectation that the only way forward is to demand that others think, believe, and act exactly like us. That said, we, like those who have gone before us and those yet to come, have a choice in days such as these. We can hold on to those things which divide us and/or distinguish us, or we can look to our commonalities, our shared hopes, and our as yet unfulfilled dreams of a world where God reigns, where peace and justice prevail, and where we finally fully acknowledge that “in their welfare resides our welfare,” and then live and act accordingly.
In writing to the Galatian church, a community embroiled in a conflict over who was in and who was out, as well as the means for someone to be “in,” the Apostle Paul wrote these words:
…we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law… I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:16, 19,20)
He also said…
for in Christ Jesus [we] are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.(Galatians 3:26-29)
I would suggest that the list of divisions that should “no longer” influence our thinking of who is in and who is out needs to be much longer (i.e., no longer black or white, rich or poor, LGBTQ or straight, Muslim or Christian, and so on and so on…). For surely we are all children of God. That said, I acknowledge that my story is wrapped up in the story of Jesus, and because of that, my words in this moment are mostly directed to those who call themselves followers of Christ.
If it is no longer we that live, but Christ that lives in us… if we have clothed ourselves with Christ… if we say that we are “in Christ,” then we must take seriously the call to make his mission, to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4: 18-19; Isa 61:1) our own. The following words come out of the Community of Christ’s scriptural tradition, but I believe that it is relevant to all who call upon the name of Christ. We must…
“Seek to be reconciled one with another. Let not your differences over procedures and program materials separate you and thus vitiate my influence for good in the world which is torn asunder by the devastating powers of evil. You who are my disciples must be found continuing in the forefront of those organizations and movements which are recognizing the worth of persons and are committed to bringing the ministry of my Son to bear on their lives. Working together to this end will promote unity, resolve conflicts, relieve tensions between individuals, and heal the wounds … This you must do in the spirit of love and compassion as revealed in my Son during his journey in your midst.” (Doctrine and Covenants 151:8b-10)
May we all open ourselves to what God is calling us to do in these contentious times, and may we all open our hearts, our eyes, and our ears to one another so that we might be catalysts for healing and reconciliation.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of November 1st, 2020
Life in the Trenches
After moving to a new home in the late Spring, we had to have cables run for our internet service. The result is a visible line in the yard where the grass has not yet grown back. It’s only been a couple of months, so I have not yet given up hope that the grass will fill in the “trench” next Spring. That said, there is another trench that runs across the yard near the back of the property… a line that was there before we arrived.
The line is not straight and does not appear to have a particular beginning or end as it stretches beyond our yard to the neighbors’ yards on either side. I have wondered what cable might have been laid there that would leave a trench. If something new, perhaps it too would eventually fill in. If something older, perhaps it is a sign that I will have to participate more actively in the “fill in” process to get rid of the lingering trenches.
Come to find out, the pre-existing trench wasn’t caused by the burying of cables. Instead, it was a squirrel trail. Apparently squirrels, who have a reputation of being somewhat random and non-sensical in their movements (hence the reference to people acting erratically being “squirrely”), are more patterned in their movements than expected. I have had dogs create such trails in the yard… especially along fence lines shared with other pet owners, but squirrels? I have to admit, I was skeptical … until this week … when I saw it with my own eyes.
I have a place at the back of our yard (just beyond the squirrel path) that overlooks a meadow of sorts where I like to go and sit to pray and think. Recently, while sitting in my spot, I saw a squirrel come out of the meadow. I watched as it made its way to the path. Rather than running randomly across the yards, or even exploring a new path, the squirrel went to the familiar. And that squirrel was not alone. Over the next half hour, the path became a squirrel super highway.
I began to wonder… How often do we return to the familiar path rather than venturing out and trying something new? Is it because it’s how we’ve always done it? Is it because everyone else is doing it? Is it because the well-worn path is less likely to present obstacles? Or, is it simply because the familiar is comfortable and predictable? When we are able to stick to a familiar path, we don’t have to think about it. We don’t have to plan. We know with reasonable certainty what we will encounter. What we don’t know is… what we might experience if we went another way… a less familiar way.
Some of us are not fans of adventure…choosing instead to stick with what we know. There is much to be said for comfortable and predictable… especially in an ever changing, often chaotic, rarely predictable world. But there is also something to be said for flexibility and spontaneity. But what about the crazy world… it is in fact the world in which we live, and sometimes we don’t have any say in what the world throws at us … a pandemic, or a natural disaster, or the loss of something/someone familiar.
For those who prefer a more spontaneous, less predictable, approach to the path of life, perhaps these days are just another adventure. For those who find themselves overwhelmed by the unfamiliar, however, I hope you will find comfort that no matter how unfamiliar the path, God promises to remain our constant and always familiar companion in whatever “trench” we find ourselves.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 26th, 2020
Build Houses, Plant Gardens, Pray
A couple of weeks ago, I heard someone quote Jeremiah 29:11, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” When taken alone, it is a comforting verse, but for the Israelites in Babylonian exile, it may have been a little hard to swallow. How does one find hope in a time of exile? While other prophets were telling the people to have hope because their time in Babylon would be brief, Jeremiah was not in agreement.
Prior to the words of hope expressed in verse 11, he had told the Israelites, to “build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Not only was he telling them to settle in (it was going to be awhile), he also told them to pray for those who were holding them captive… far and away from all they knew… property, culture, religion, and in some cases family.
With wildfires raging, hurricanes destroying, politics dividing, pandemicskilling, and systems of oppression (racism, classism, sexism, and agism…just to name a few) dominating and excluding, where do we find hope? While some of us are feeling the ramifications of exile for the first time, there are many in our communities who have been experiencing it all of their lives. What good are “houses” and “gardens” in the midst of exile?
Exile isn’t just about being banned from one’s country. To live every day without a “home” … a place … a community … an environment where one is loved and accepted and cherished for who they are just as God loves, accepts and cherishes all… is to live in exile. To wonder every day if a child or loved one will make it back home without being bullied, beaten, or racially profiled…or if they’ll even make it home at all … is to live in exile. Again, what good are “houses” and “gardens” in the midst of exile?
Well… What if the houses God is calling us to build are safe houses, shelters, sanctuaries… sacred communities of joy, hope, love, and peace … signal communities of welcome and inclusion, grace and mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation, justice and healing?
What if the gardens God is calling us to create and the seeds God is calling us to plant in these difficult times are gardens where weeds of contention, division, oppression, and greed cannot grow because ours are seeds of love and compassion and hope. What if they are places where, in the midst of chaos and loss (fires and hurricanes, violence and pandemics), all of the children of God can find a “home.”
What if we have become our own enemies in the journey toward God’s reign, and the prayers we are called to pray are prayers for our own understanding? Perhaps it is our hearts that need softening, our minds and hearts and eyes that need opening.
It’s time for the church and for each of us to switch our thinking from “it is what it is” to “enough is enough”… to build houses, plant gardens, and to pray for the welfare of all… for in their welfare we will find our welfare.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of October 19th, 2020
When There’s Nothing Left to Do But Pray
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV)
Of course, the Apostle Paul writing to the Philippians was not suggesting that prayer be a last resort. Rather, these verses were part of a list of exhortations that he was sharing with the letter’s recipients in an effort to keep them on track with God’s will and purposes for their good and for the good of the growing community.
Now… I have to admit that there are times when I get caught up in the chaos of the moment, making a mental note to pray…”in a little while,” thereby, passing on the opportunity to make it my first priority. Has that ever happened to you?
I realize that it’s not always a matter of misplaced priorities. There are times when there really is nothing left to do but pray…times when all other options (to do’s) have been done, or can’t be done because of circumstances. What if the person needing help is someone whom we haven’t met and will most likely never have the opportunity to meet…a friend of a friend? What if the circumstances are such that physical presence is not an option (as in a time of pandemic)? What if we really are too busy in the moment…taking care of another pressing matter? What do we do then? Pray!!
God, where will your Spirit lead today?
Help me be fully awake are ready to respond.*
Earlier today, I was approached by a gentleman seeking directions at a hospital. He had gotten a phone call saying that his mom was in ICU, and he was unfamiliar with the hospital. I excused myself from a phone call, gave him directions and wished him well. I continued on with the call…getting into my car and setting off for my next destination. Within a block, I was overcome with the feeling that I had not done enough and that I should return to the hospital in an attempt to provide some comfort to this man in his time of need.
Grant me courage to risk something new
And become a blessing of your love and peace.*
I drove another block before I gave in and turned around. I went back to the hospital knowing that under the current circumstances there was little hope of being allowed to go into the hospital to find this gentleman…but I had to try! As I thought, I was stopped at the door. I’m sure the guy at the entryway thought I had lost my mind… “I know the guy’s name was John…no, I’d never met him before…no, I didn’t know his mom’s name…But God told me to come back.” At least he didn’t laugh or mock me. He simply said, “Sorry.” Though I wasn’t surprised, I was disappointed.
I had seen him get out of his car, so I decided to leave a short note and my business card. In the note, I told him to call me if he needed anything else. When I got back to my car, I realized that there was nothing left for me to do but pray. I began to pray for this man and his mom. I prayed for forgiveness for not having responded immediately, and I prayed that they would know, above all else, that they were being held and accompanied by a God who loves them and will not let them be alone. I don’t know if he will ever call, or if he’ll even get the note, but in that moment I received the assurance that God knew and was already working for good.
Do not question God’s faithfulness. Only question whether you will be faithful to respond with courage when God calls… even if prayer is the only thing left to do.
Amen.*
Blessings,
Blake
*Warning: Praying this prayer (the Mission Prayer) has been known to cause the following side effects: ringing phones, unexpected ministry encounters, sleepless nights, a deep concern for others, unexplained courage to form new friendships, and a renewed passion for Christ’s Mission. If you experience these or any other symptoms, do not call your doctor… Praise God!!
For the week of October 12th, 2020
Impatience and Golden Calves
One of the lectionary scriptures for this past week was Exodus 32:1-14. It is the story of the impatience that grew in the Israelites while waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, and their having demanded that Aaron make gods to go before since Moses…and God… were nowhere to be found. How quickly they had forgotten God’s provision for them (freedom, safe passage, food, water).
Speaking of impatience, I am reminded of the flower that goes by a similar name…impatiens. Though some impatiens are known for their beauty and ease of care, one variety of impatiens, the Himalayan Balsam, is said to be particularly problematic. It is a densely growing species which displaces smaller plants by denying them sunlight. Although an invasive weed in many places, it seems to be especially dominant in plant habitats along polluted rivers. Because the balsam has shallow root systems and often forms stands where few other plants can grow, it also makes riverbanks more prone to erosion.
The impatience that grows inside of us when we don’t get what we want when we want it is much like the Himalayan Balsam, yet worse. Rather than being annual or perennial, it is perpetual… always blooming…rarely dormant … blocking the “light” … and eroding the foundation of our faith and hope if we’re not careful. Our impatience, like that of the Israelites, leads us to seek things we can feel, touch, see, and enjoy… now. Our need for immediate gratification…new gods and golden calves … threatens to consume us and serve as a distraction to the reign of God in our lives and in the lives of those who have good reason to be impatient.
Thank goodness God doesn’t get impatient with us. God’s love and grace does not have shallow roots. It runs deep and sustains the “ground” in which it grows. It does not block the light… it is the light!
If we’re going to spend time being impatient, we ought not waste it forming more golden calves. Rather, we ought to be impatient with the golden calves (systems and structures) that work against God’s purposes. We ought to spend our time “melting them down.” Think for a moment about our brothers and sisters who are poor, marginalized, outcast, downtrodden, excluded, hungry, homeless, and forgotten … those who have been told they are “less than” because of the color of their skin or the because of who they love. They are certainly justified in their impatience. How long must they wait for those “at the table” to do more than offer them the scraps from the table? When will they be invited to take a seat at the table where they no longer have to suffer the indignity of being seen as “other?” How long must they wait for those who call themselves Christian… people who follow a man who proclaimed the worth of all… to acknowledge that all means all? How long must they wait to be called children of God…loved beyond measure and without condition…granted grace, not because of what they’ve done, but because that’s what God does!
Next time you’re feeling impatience starting to take root because you’re not getting what you want when you want it, remember just how blessed you are. Take a couple of minutes (at least) to consider how you might turn your “golden calves” into something that will bring justice to all of God’s children. Remember, “in their welfare resides your welfare?”
Blessings,
Blake
Photo by Gary Stevens/Flickr. Picture used with Permission. Creative Commons License.
For the week of October 5th, 2020
Is There Another Stage?
Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.
These are the five stages of grief as expressed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying. Far from being the only theory surrounding the stages of grief, it is certainly a very popular one. The stages were originally developed to explain the process which those who are ill (and those who care for them) experience on the journey toward death. Since their publication, however, the stages have been used to help understand the experience of many other types of loss as well.
In August of this year, I wrote a piece for “From the Desk of…” entitled Call to Compassion. In the weeks since then, I have been continuing in my own journey of exploration and discovery regarding the issues of the global pandemic and systemic racism and how they affect me and the people I serve. On that journey, I have felt moments of depression and despair. I have realized that in many ways I have been going through the stages of grief in response to the losses that are being experienced every day. I have also realized that although I am not alone, it would seem that far too many who call themselves Christian have escaped being deeply impacted by the devastation experienced by others in response to these and other pressing issues.
Talisha Arnold, in a daily devotional entitled “It’s in Our DNA” written for and published on ucc.org, turns the readers attention to Psalm 146 in which the psalmist lists the reasons why those whose help is in the Lord should be happy. For God is the one who… “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry… sets the prisoners free…opens the eyes of the blind…lifts up those who are bowed down…watches over the strangers… [and] upholds the orphan and the widow.” (vs. 6-9) She goes on to note that “what is remarkable about this call to justice comes from the psalms – not the prophets, not the teaching of Jesus. [It is not new.] It is in the DNA of our faith.”
I would argue that it is right and natural for any who would call themselves Christian to be experiencing some stage of grief in these times, for surely, we are in danger of experiencing great loss (if we haven’t experienced it already). And, the stages of grief that Kubler-Ross offer are no doubt very real. Anyone who has experienced grief can attest to that. However, another stage is needed. Denial gets us nowhere. Anger is healing but can get us in trouble. Bargaining either requires that we beg or sacrifice something of our own (neither of which are we typically willing to do). Depression leads to hopelessness, and acceptance too often results in apathy… “it is what it is.”
Thankfully, when we, like the psalmist, place our hope in God, remembering all that God has done for us in the past and promises to accomplish with us through the Holy Spirit in the future, we find there is another stage. And, in that stage, we have the opportunity to experience healing and justice in an environment where God’s presence is sure and hope is in abundance. For hope opens the doors to dreams…dreams open the doors to action…and action opens of doors for God’s justice to become a reality for all of creation.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 21st, 2020
What’s In Your Web?
I had been assigned to lead a devotional for our field staff meeting. It wasn’t to be just any devotional, but one based on Art Spirituality. To be honest, I didn’t exactly know what that meant. Though I could imagine what it might entail, I needed to do some checking. In the end, it wasn’t any more complicated than it sounded. I simply needed to base my devotion on some form of art that moved me spiritually… a particular painting, a song, a musical genre, a sculpture… the possibilities were unlimited. To make a long story short, I chose art in nature.
Having grown up in an era where video games were more of a luxury than an everyday indulgence (if you can call “black and white screens with moving dots…not characters…a luxury or an indulgence), and kids actually went outside for hours at a time to play and create their own entertainment, it is no wonder that I have always had a particular interest in nature. Add to that an interest in photography and an eye for art, and you have the foundation for finding God in the art that appears in nature.
In the days leading up to the devotion, while sitting on my front porch, I watched the final stages of spider web production…the result of which is in the picture above. Though I have to admit, I am not a fan of spiders, I was captivated by all that this small web brought to mind. I realized that I had been the unintentional witness to something beautiful in the making. In the spider web much was revealed… not just the occurrence of art in nature, but the revealing of the very nature of the artist.
Norwegian painter and printmaker, Edvard Munch (1863-1944), said, “Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye…it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.” As I sat and marveled at the web, my mind raced with words that I realized described not only the web, but the very nature of it’s creator…a small spider… words like meticulous, efficient, patient, practical, alluring, tempting, fascinating, fragile, and temporary. I wonder what words come to your mind when you see a spider web. Would your list sound something like mine, or would yours tend toward things less complimentary?
The reality is that, like it or not, as we walk through our life, we are all creating webs (of friendships, connections, deep relationships, systems of beliefs, patterns of behavior, etc.) that reveal something about our nature and are often looked upon by unintentional witnesses. Would those who look upon the web you are weaving do so with wonder and awe, or would their word association list be something a bit less complimentary.
This week, consider this… what does the web you have created, the web you are creating, and the web you hope to create in the days ahead say about your nature?
In closing, allow me to take a little liberty with a passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippian church (4:8)… “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, [build your web out of these things].”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 14th, 2020
Pandemics, Hurricanes, and Fires…Oh My!!
As I sit on my back deck…looking out over a peaceful meadow, enjoying the beautiful sunny day and the light cool breeze… it’s hard to believe that not too far away fires are raging, hurricanes are flooding, and the pandemic is killing some and dividing others. If only there were a “yellow brick road” to get us to Oz (aka… the reign of God).
There are probably too many interpretations of the Wizard of Oz to even count, but here’s one that I think is relevant today. It’s a story about a group of disparate characters who become companions on a journey. They are all longing for something (home, heart, knowledge, and/or courage). They travel along a path that winds and wanders through treacherous forests as well as deceivingly beautiful fields of poppies. It is a journey filled with adventure and treachery. There is encouragement and torment. At every turn, they are faced with choices, but they find hope in community and they pursue the impossible, only to find that from the beginning they had within them that for which they desperately longed.
As we journey along the path of life…it is rarely a “yellow brick road” (for some it has never been a yellow brick road), but there are also “pandemics, hurricanes, and fires…Oh my!” For some in our world, the path might appear straight forward, but for most, it is filled with twists and turns, forks and intersections, long stretches and dead ends. Time and again we must make a choice, but not just any choice. As Christians…as followers of Christ (the Way)… as disciples sent to be the hands and feet of Christ in a broken world where natural and unnatural disasters arise on a daily basis… where sin is rampant, oppression is overlooked, and individualism often gives priority to greed over the needs of our neighbor… we must be careful which path we choose.
We cannot afford to sit idly by while “fires” rage, we cannot afford to be unprepared when the “hurricane” makes land fall, and we can’t ignore the pandemic, hoping that it will just go away. In his song, Do Something, Matthew West says that in his frustration at all that was going on in the world around him, he “shook [his] fist at Heaven [and] said, ‘God, why don’t You do something?’ [to which God replied], ‘I did, yeah, I created you!’”
I love the image in the movie where Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion link elbows, step onto the road and move out toward a common goal… all the while skipping and singing…full of hope…united in purpose… and equally supportive of each other’s dreams and longings. This is the kind of world God desires for us and for all of creation… little girls, scarecrows, tinmen, lions, and even witches…people on all points of the continuum of color, religion, socio-economic status, gender identity, and even lifestyle. If God’s love is limited to perfect circumstances and perfect people… how different is it from the love we would offer if left to our own devices. God and God’s love are bigger than that. God is with us through pandemics, hurricanes and fires… in joy and in sorrow … in tragedy and in triumph … in solitude and in community.
Oh my!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of September 7th, 2020
Remembering Who We Are
As I sat down to write this week’s “From the Desk of…,” my thoughts were captured by the recent sudden change in temperatures outside. I was thinking about the effects of gradual change and sudden change. It would seem that it would be easier to accept change at a slow and steady pace than to be faced with abrupt change. And yet, we seem better conditioned to adapt in the moment…perhaps because we have to. In those instances, there is no time to form a committee or sit in discernment… we simply have to respond.
Over the last several decades in the Community of Christ, (surely longer, but I can only speak to the times I have witnessed) we have been faced by many things that have felt like abrupt changes. More often than not, however, they have been gradual changes brought about by deeper understandings of God. And, these deeper understandings have developed over generations through careful thought and study, experiences of divine encounter, and interaction in sacred community. They feel new, and yet they are firmly embedded in who we are and who we have been… a church dedicated to the pursuit of peace and the building of the kingdom of God on earth… to fulfilling Christ’s mission. I am both saddened and elated when I hear someone say, “this is not the church I grew up in.” Saddened that anyone feels disconnected from this sacred community, and elated that by changing … by continuing to grow in our understanding of God and God’s desires for creation … we are actually holding on to our foundation which has its roots in ongoing revelation, the worth of all persons, the sacredness of creation, the blessings of community and other enduring principles.
When I read Apostle Harmon’s words on the opening page of the most recent Herald, I knew that there would be some among us who would not “hear” them in the same way that I did. They are, in essence, a call to remember who we are… as a people and as disciples of Jesus Christ … as well as a call forward into a future of hope that will require us to be a community of Christ.
In light of all that is going on in our world, not just our country, Apostle Harmon offers the following challenge and words of hope:
When we recognize our inherent worth, we not only have the capacity but are compelled to “restore and uphold the Worth of All Persons, challenging unjust systems that diminish human worth.” In short, we are freed to truly love [our] neighbor as [ourselves]. We understand that our future is linked inextricably to our neighbor’s future, and that together we can envision and enact that future into being.
As I look into the future, I see neighborhoods, villages, and cities transformed by our courage to invite many more people to the table, break bread, share our lives, and dream of what could be. I see an awakening to our global interdependence where we come together to listen, learn, and solve our greatest challenges—locally and globally.
I believe this is the essence of who we are and are called to become – signal communities that live, love, and share as Zion, where there are no poor or oppressed. This is the Worth of All Persons in action. This is the compelling vision that is worth all we have to give.[i]
Though our worldview may have changed, and our understanding of God’s love for us and for creation may continue to deepen, who we are at our core has not changed. We need only to remember!
May we all remember who we are in Christ.
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Harmon, Ron. “Recognizing Our Inherent Worth.” Herald, Volume 167, Sept/Oct 2020, p. 5.
For the week of August 31st, 2020
Critical Connections
These days, we are all mostly dependent on the internet or phone as a means of connection. Persons that otherwise might have been able to reach the end of their days not having turned on a computer, must give in to the call of technology in order to see the faces and hear the voices of those they love in a way that shares any resemblance to “being together.” Now, perhaps more than ever, we have to work at staying connected. Connection is critical.
That said, our world is full of things that would work to from making those critical connections … religious beliefs, political ideologies, skin color, money or the absence of it, lifestyles that are labeled as “alternative,” differences in language (even at the level of dialects and accents), and where we were born (country, city, geographic region, and… even neighborhood). One need not look far or deep to find a reason to draw a line in the sand… or so it would seem…
When I was a youth minister, I used an activity to illustrate the idea of similarities and differences between people. The activity began with participants in pairs, and their objective was to find one commonality and one difference between them. To make things a bit more difficult, participants had to look beyond basic physical characteristics (i.e. “we both have two eyes”). They were encouraged to dig a little deeper. The activity continued with two pairs forming a group of four and so on and so on until there were no more than two groups. With each successive combination, each newly created group had the same goal…and the same caveat…they could not use any example from a previous pairing or subgroup. The purpose of the activity… and this has been true every time I have led the activity… was to show that as the groups grow larger, it is much easier to find a commonality between all parties than to find something to which everyone has a unique response. We share more in common than we think!! But we wouldn’t know that if we don’t connect in some way or fashion.
Connection will never happen when we turn away in fear and/or judgment based on differences (perceived or real). We say things like, “that’s not how we do it” rather than considering that there might be a better way, or “who would want to live like that,” when we neither understand what “that” entails in the first place, nor what benefits “that” might afford. When we connect, however, we are likely to find that there is a deep richness that we can gain from one another. In connecting, we are more likely to grow in understanding, and understanding sets the stage for being open to something “other.”
In chapter five of the Gospel of Matthew we find these words, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven… For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? (vs 43-47).
If we are to build the kingdom, we are going to have to do more to make a connection with one another…putting aside our past biases, our dislike for new forms of technology, our excuses of busyness, our fear of change, and our “worry about [our] life, what [we] will eat or what [we] will drink, or about [our] body, what [we] will wear (Matt 6:25). In doing so, we make room for God’s vision and will. Jesus showed us that we can start by being willing to sit with the outcast (John 4:4-26), offer grace to the condemned (John 8: 4-11), stop and listen to the cry of those who seek healing for the ones they love (Matt 8: 5-13), and take time for the children (Matt 19:13-14).
To what lengths are you willing to go to connect with an “other” so that Christ’s mission (Luke 4:18; Isa 61:1) can be realized “on earth as it is in heaven?”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 24th, 2020
Call for Compassion
We are in the midst of a crazy time in our country and in our world. Between the looming pandemic and the ongoing issues surrounding systemic racism, we are confronted with what seems an insurmountable set of obstacles that threaten to tear us apart. Unfortunately, those are not the only two issues that we face. I fear that in all these things, we are in danger of allowing voices on both sides of the issues to influence us in ways that seek to close our ears and our hearts to one another.
We have been warned that … “There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c)
Pointing fingers and casting blame will get us nowhere in our efforts to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth. We must test all things by seeking the voice of God which calls us to “generously share the invitation, ministries, and sacraments through which people can encounter the Living Christ who heals and reconciles through redemptive relationships in sacred community. The restoring of persons to healthy or righteous relationships with God, others, themselves, and the earth is at the heart of the purpose of your journey as a people of faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:2b). We must turn to the enduring principles that have been at the core of our identity since our very beginning… the worth of all persons, unity in diversity, the blessings of community, grace and generosity, continuing revelation, pursuit of peace, sacredness of creation, responsible choices, and all are called.
This list of principles must not be allowed to exist as words on a page in an attractive “brochure” that looks good on a shelf. Rather, they must be allowed to guide us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, in our daily living and encounters with the whole of creation.
As we consider how we will respond in these difficult times… to God and to one another … let us listen first to the God who created us and calls us forward to accomplish Christ’s mission. Then, let us be in prayer for all concerned…victims and perpetrators alike…considering what might be at the heart of the fear and hatred that brings about destructive behavior in the first place.
“In the many places where you are called to labor, the forces of darkness and destruction are active indeed, and seem to hold sway. Your hearts are burdened by the magnitude of the tasks that are yours in bringing the light of my gospel into such darkness. Nevertheless, I have heard your prayers…and I have been with you in the places where you occupy…In all your efforts, therefore, continue to trust in my grace and respond in love to the leadings of my Spirit. If you will come before me in unity and love I will bless you with a great outpouring of compassion, both for one another and for the world into which are sent” (Doctrine and Covenants 157:16, 17).
Only with hearts full of compassion for the other will we be able to truly be the Community of Christ.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 17th, 2020
From Time to Time
There is a field that I pass every once in a while on my drive around the local area. I know that may be hard to believe seeing that I live in the suburbs of Chicago, but it’s true…there are still a few open spaces to be found. In this particular field there are hundreds of chickens. The structures that serve as chicken houses are more like pavilions than coops … 16-20 foot square and maybe 6 foot high at the peak. From the road, the pavilions look permanent. Although the field is quite large, the chickens themselves are limited in their ability to wander. There is a light fence surrounding the pavilions that creates for them a yard of sorts.
Today, as I passed, I noticed that the pavilions had been moved. To be honest, I suspected it was not the first time, but any previous movement was subtle so I wasn’t sure if I had simply remembered their location incorrectly. As I said, they appear to be permanent structures and they are certainly too large to pick up and move with ease. But this time, they had definitely been moved. The fences had been repositioned and if the chickens had been affected by the move, the casual passerby wouldn’t have been able to tell. I doubt the chickens asked to be moved, but I imagine that it was in their best interest. Perhaps the new location had softer soil…or more level ground…or more grass in which to lay. Perhaps it was as simple as they needed somewhere not already covered in waste. (I admit that I know nothing about raising chickens so I have no idea if those things even matter…though I’m guessing waste-free ground is a bonus…even for chickens.)
One thing of which I am relatively sure is that regardless of what the chickens might think, the ones to whom the chickens belong not only know what they need…they know what is best for them. There is food, and shelter, and sufficient protection from predators. There are boundaries (fences), but the fences are both strong enough to protect when needed, yet also light enough to allow predators in and chickens out if either was so inclined.
Life with God is somewhat like the life of the chickens in the field. We become accustomed to the placement of our structures (beliefs), but it is important that they be able to be shift from time to time in order to accommodate our changing (deepening) understanding of God. We don’t like to be moved, but in movement we may find more stable or more comfortable ground. At a minimum we are sure to find ground that is not covered in the waste of our self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, and self-indulgence. The one to whom we belong not only knows what we need, but also what is best for us. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (NRSV) The boundaries that have been set will keep us relatively safe, but we always have the choice, if so inclined, to find a way out. Ought we not to trust in God. It is possible God to be permanent and unmoving/unchanging while acknowledging that may be in our own best interest to allow ourselves to be moved from time to time.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 10th, 2020
Below the Surface
Recently, my family and I went on an excursion to a couple of state parks within driving distance. We had originally planned a vacation to Arizona where we had planned to hike in the Grand Canyon. Since that was not a possibility given the current pandemic, we decided to seek other (safer) places to hike. Ultimately, we chose Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks. Both offered, according to the literature, canyons and waterfalls. We knew it would be no real substitute for the Grand Canyon, but it would have to do.
We began our trip at Starved Rock where we encountered masses of people, limited construction-free views and a strong disregard for any semblance of safety precautions, so we quickly moved to Matthiessen. Here we found wide open spaces and plenty of room to explore. Heading down the trail to the canyon, we were a bit concerned when we passed children covered, head to toe, in dark mud. The initial response was that perhaps this was going to be a bad idea. That said, we proceeded to what turned out to be a trail running along the rim of the canyon. With summer foliage in full bloom, however, it was difficult to see down into the canyon, so we were pleased when we found a stairwell allowing us to descend for a closer view.
Noticing that there was apparently a trail leading up the canyon, and wanting to see the advertised waterfalls, we set off on a canyon adventure. It was difficult to determine if such an adventure was intended as there were places where it was difficult to pass and other places where “stepping stones” seemed to have been intentionally placed for safe passage. Though our confidence in the journey was limited at times, and we discussed whether or not to turn around and go back on many occasions, we pushed on. And, we were not alone. There were others taking a similar journey.
We plotted, strategized, made mistakes, got wet (but not muddy), worked together, encouraged each other and laughed a lot. The journey was challenging and even a little anxiety producing, but we made it to the end. As a side note, we had to look very closely at some of the “waterfalls” to see water barely trickling down the rock face. Still, it didn’t seem to matter. There was beauty all around.
When we reached the “end” of the canyon, having gone as far as we could physically go, we found a way back up out of the canyon to the trail that would take us back to where we started. At the top, there was a sign posted that said “this is not a trail.” We were left wondering if we were even supposed to have walked in the canyon at all, but the deed was done. As we walked back to the head of the trail using the authorized path, we attempted to look back down into the canyon, but to no avail. The beauty that existed below the surface was no longer visible.
Sometimes in life we are tempted to take the easy path, avoiding any challenge…and in those moments life is fine. We are safe and comfortable and can be fairly sure that we will encounter few if any stumbling blocks and, even then, we can usually see them coming. The problem is that when we always take the easy path, we are likely to miss out on the beauty that awaits below the surface. This is true, not only of our outdoor “canyon” adventures, but also in our relationships. Sure, the path may not be clearly marked, or you may misstep along the way and get a little wet from time to time. Who knows, you may even get to the end of the canyon to find that somewhere along the line you got off the trail all together. But, chances are that the beauty you will have found by taking a chance and going below the surface will have been worth the struggle.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 3rd, 2020
Why It’s Important
Following the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests and riots, I was privileged to sit in on a conversation where members of one of the congregations in my jurisdiction shared how, as members of the black community, the current events were affecting them. Though I had been deeply affected by the events (in my own way) I quickly realized that anything I had experienced was nothing in relation to that which they were living and experiencing first hand. Though I wanted to speak (offering my help and my apologies), I quickly realized that what I needed to do was listen and seek understanding.
In response to what I heard and experienced that night, as well as to additional conversations that took place in the days that followed, I was humbled…finally realizing that saying I wasn’t a part of the problem was in itself part of the problem. Over the last several weeks, I have begun to seek out resources that could help me, and others, understand the consequences of racism and my participation in it. I have begun to read and listen to podcasts that are helping me to see how deeply ingrained these systems and traditions are that have hurt so many for far too long.
I have heard again the words my mother would say when my siblings and I would attempt to explain away our misdeeds by saying “I didn’t mean to.” Her response would always be, “but you didn’t mean NOT to!” If I am to live with integrity while proclaiming the worth of all persons, I have to “mean NOT to” do harm by being willing to listen, learn and grow.
In 2003, I concluded my master’s thesis with these words… “I may have to change my mind, but based on what I know now, this is what I believe.” I thought then that I had come to grips with all of my deficiencies, but life up until that point had taught me that there was always something I didn’t know or hadn’t considered. In the years leading up to that moment, I had, time and again, had to admit that I was wrong about a belief that I had held…or how I had been influenced by the soft and subtle voices of those who influenced my thought without my knowing it. What I have found is that the need to learn never ends. Most recently, I have come to the realization that all I knew about racism and the life experience of people of color was nothing compared to what I have yet to learn.
It is for these reasons that I will continue to encourage others to join me in doing this hard work. I hope you will find in these resources something that will help you to see things through the eyes of the other, for “in their welfare resides your welfare.”
A starting list of available resources can be found at:http://chicagomissioncenter.org/anti-racism-resources/ and http://chicagomissioncenter.org/additional-anti-racism-resouces-published/
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 27th, 2020
And Justice for All
Twice in the last ten days, I have found myself in situations in which I wanted a particular outcome… outcomes that some might say I rightfully deserved (and I would agree), but outcomes that didn’t come to fruition. On each occasion, feelings of anger, frustration, and even desperation began to rise.
The first instance was, to a degree, a matter of personal comfort. The desired object was something I needed more than deserved. I was lying in a bed, shivering violently as I fought a fever. What I wanted… a blanket. It seemed a simple request. If I had known where to find one, I probably could have retrieved one within minutes, but in this case I depended on the assistance of others, and so I asked and waited… asked and waited. Three people and almost two and a half hours later, the blanket arrived.
The second instance did not include “need” at all. By the time the anger and disappointment started to rise, the need had already passed. All I wanted (and deserved) was an explanation and perhaps an apology. I had been a long-term customer of a particular business that was apparently no longer able to provide me with the service for which I was being billed. And, as it turned out, they were not willing or able to provide the level of customer service which I believe ought to be customary for any business… especially with regards to a “good customer.” My wife reminded me upon my return that, in that moment, I was no longer a customer of any kind, good or bad, so they had nothing to lose. Of course, she was right, but what about the multiple phone calls in the weeks leading up to my decision to change providers? What about the weeks of frustration when I was a paying customer? That should have accounted for something.
It wasn’t until driving home from the second incident that I “heard” these words… and justice for all. Now, I’m not one to believe that God puts us through particular tests in order that we might learn a much-needed lesson. I am more inclined to believe that God waits for us to put ourselves into particular situations and then taps us on the shoulder or whispers in our ear so that we might not miss the teachable moment that will help us on our own journey or help us to feel compassion and even empathy for those who experience similar things all the time.
I was challenged in that moment to put it all in perspective. If my two encounters with frustrating circumstances could bring up feelings of injustice in my overall blessed and privileged life… how might others feel in the face of real injustice? I wanted a blanket for an immediate need, while some need a blanket every night. I sought an explanation and an apology for not having gotten what I deserved (because I paid for it), when some simply want what they deserve as a child of God (to be respected, honored, loved, treated with dignity) because it is a God-given right…and others have given up the hope of ever “deserving” anything… including love.
I have not written these words in an effort to get sympathy for any perceived injustice I have experienced, for I no nothing of injustice. I have written these words because God may be shoulder tapping and whispering, but the world is crying out for love, and peace, and compassion, and respect, and mutual understanding, and justice for all. Will we hear and respond or turn and walk away… again?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 13th, 2020
Finding Peace
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:27 (NRSV)
The other day, I found myself with a couple of hours break between meetings and obligations. The weather was nice and my family was available for a quick getaway, so we loaded up the kayaks and the fishing poles and headed for the river. Although there had been some issues with starting my truck over the last week, it seemed to work fine with an occasional “jump.” I had cables with me and we were taking two cars so I thought everything would be fine. If we timed things just right, we would be able to enjoy an hour or more of peaceful rest together (something we all needed), leaving plenty of time to get back for a scheduled class.
When we got to the river, the wind was blowing pretty briskly and the current was strong so kayaking was more of a workout than a restful float, and the fish (if there were even fish around) were not biting. The intended activities had not turned out quite as peaceful or restful as we had hoped. And yet, we didn’t give up. We spent some time just sitting and enjoying each other’s presence for a bit before reloading the truck for the ride home. Had we not at least enjoyed those brief moments by the side of the river together before packing up, and had a good friend not been willing to lead the class in my absence, I may not have been as quick to see the “peace” in what was yet to come. Although rest was no longer in the forecast, peace was still to come, and it would be a peace “not as the world (usually) gives.”
Truck loaded and ready to head home to pick up where I had left off, the truck would not start. Before I could even ask my daughter to bring her car around, however, a nearby stranger stepped forward and offered the help of his portable battery charger. Unfortunately, the charger didn’t work, but he would not be the last offer of assistance I would receive. The offers (from a very diverse group of strangers) continued. Each one willing to take a couple of minutes out of their own search for peaceful rest to help my family and me in our time of need.
One of the offers came from a gentleman who was actually a mechanic. The problem turned out not to be the battery (something I would never have figured out). This man ended up spending several hours fixing my truck in the parking lot where it sat… including a 45-minute round trip to his home to get the tools he needed for the job. It was getting late in the day, so he did only what was necessary to get the truck running. He suggested I go straight home (do not pass Go…do not collect $200), turning off the truck only when I had arrived at my final destination. He predicted that additional work would be needed… work which he would be willing to come to my house to complete… and asked that I let him know when I was home.
To make a long story short… he came to my house yesterday to complete the work that he had begun. The truck now starts without hesitation and runs smoothly. That in itself might be considered the peaceful ending which I suggested was yet to come. But the real peace came as he and I spent another hour standing in my driveway getting to know one another and starting what I believe will be a long-term friendship. We talked about our families… about the crazy world we live in… about the desire we both share to live with honesty and integrity… helping others in need without thought of return (did I mention that although I did pay him, he didn’t want payment for his help?) … finding peace in the moments when we can live fully into who and what God has created us to be. Even though there was much about us that was different (first language, childhood, ethnic culture, etc.) we had much in common.
The reality is that we will never know what opportunities for relationships exist in our world, if we do not remain open to those God brings into our lives. I doubt I would have asked any of those strangers for their help (especially during a pandemic), but I thank God for each and everyone of them … having put humanity first, having made themselves vulnerable, and having made real … if even for a moment … the blessings of community.
What if we weren’t meant to “find peace?” What if, instead, we were meant to make space in our hearts and minds and relationships for God’s peace to “find” us?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of July 6th, 2020
Looking Back To See Ahead
The following comes from “Toward the Peaceful One: Looking Back to See Ahead” By Ron Harmon, Council of Twelve Apostles in the Community of Christ. It is very timely for us as we explore the issues that confront us in our lives today while seeking to engage in the Mission of Christ.
Imagine the year is 2050, and you discover a time capsule dated 1955. Among various artifacts you find a folded piece of paper. On it, you see these words written by an Alabama seamstress named Rosa Parks.
People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
—Rosa Parks: My Story
Without a historical perspective on the civil-rights movement in the USA and the Montgomery bus boycott organized by Martin Luther King Jr., you would have no context for this statement. You might conclude buses must have been overcrowded, or that Rosa Parks decided she was going to take care of herself at the expense of others. What you would miss is that her action became pivotal in the battle against racism.
Have you ever misread a person or event because you didn’t have the full story? Context is like the rest of the story surrounding an event, statement, or idea. It helps us better understand its full meaning. Context is challenging because even when we attempt to grasp the rest of the story, we bring our own story with us. This story, a collection of our life experiences, forms our interpretive lens and shapes how we see and interpret events.
I have come to understand that I don’t see things as they really are. As much as I try to look beyond the interpretative lens of my personal story (i.e. context), it always limits me. I need others to help broaden my perspective. This acknowledgement is the first step in any authentic pursuit of truth…
The more we understand the context of Jesus’ ministry the more we see a pattern of speaking truth to power, calling for a radical reorientation of economic priorities, and living faith that embodies suffering and transforming love. His life, ministry, and death on the cross demonstrate a radical but nonviolent path to the future.
John Dear in The Nonviolent Life reminds us:
He does not try to respond with violence, lose his faith, or rage with anger. Instead, he forgives his killers and surrenders himself in peace to the God of peace. His death becomes a spiritual explosion that continues to disarm millions across the centuries.
Our modern world tends to attach spiritual significance to the life and ministry of Jesus while dismissing the oppressive social, economic, and political realities he sought to address. Focusing solely on spiritual significance as though it is separate from the injustices of our day results in a shallow form of private spirituality, while suffering occurs outside our doorsteps.
The inconvenient truth is the words of Jesus are disruptive in each generation and call us to become a new creation. We often hesitate to struggle with the deeper meaning and application of Jesus’ life and ministry in our gatherings. We settle instead for safe conversation that is disconnected from personal practices, economic systems, and political policies that contribute to human suffering. As difficult as these conversations may be, they are essential to discovering and living Christ’s transformative message and mission today.
Paradoxically, we will know we are moving toward Jesus the peaceful One when our words and actions upset the status quo for the common good of all. Jesus was not crucified for spreading God’s love. He was crucified for his conviction that such love required a radical reordering of social, economic, political, and religious priorities.
We have come a long way as a people, but we have a long way to go. The path forward will take work. We are called as a people to approach scripture interpretation responsibly, and this extends to how we see and interpret the life and ministry of Christ as he made God’s Kingdom known both in word and action. Context, both then and now is vitally important.
I encourage you to read the full article. It can be found at:https://www.cofchrist.org/mission-stories#/333/toward-the-peaceful-one-looking-back-to-see-ahead
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 29th, 2020
Just in Case
“The weather channel says there is only a 30% chance of rain, but I think I’ll take an umbrella…just in case!”
“It’s really hot outside, but we’re going to be out until after dark, so I think I’ll bring a light jacket…just in case.”
“We’re only expecting 10 people to come to the picnic, but I think we’ll throw on some extra burgers…just in case.”
Have you ever done something…“just in case?”
That used to be the way that I approached my discipleship. It seemed reasonable to join Philosopher Albert Camus in saying that “I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live as if there isn’t and to die and find out there is.” Just in case!
I’d like to think that my discipleship is now based in something much deeper as I grow in my relationship with God. But to be honest, I don’t see a problem with living life with a “just in case” philosophy. After all, with the exception of those who have gone before, who really knows for certain? What I do know is that if we all lived “as if” and “just in case” there is a God (which, of course, there is) … and if we all lived “as if” and “just in case” God loved all of God’s children equally (which, of course, God does)… and if we lived “as if” and “just in case” it mattered to God how we treat one another and creation (which, of course, it does)… issues of poverty, and oppression, and hunger, and racism and hate would not be overlooked, because it would matter to us just as much.
Maybe you’ve found yourself feeling a little uncomfortable with the public discourse taking place these days… conversations about the reality of systemic racism…conversations about the removal of monuments or the re-telling of history to include the contributions of those who had no voice when the stories were first told. Maybe that discomfort comes from a distaste for conflict…an aversion to change…or a fear that too much sacrifice will be required.
The story of Jesus’ life and ministry reminds us that there is no such thing as too much sacrifice when it comes to the Kingdom of God… there is no such thing as a person’s story that is not worth hearing … or a person who is not worth loving.
Perhaps we should all read an article from someone else’s perspective… sit and listen to the story of someone whose life experience is vastly different that our own… seek to understand why one we might otherwise rush to judge believes the way they do. Maybe then we could really begin to appreciate unity in diversity, the worth of all persons, and the blessings of community.
I’m willing to give it a try! How about you? You know… “just in case!”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 15th, 2020
Ties Between Us
In 1991, inspired by a biography of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., James Taylor wrote the song “Shed a Little Light.” There is no telling how many artists have since covered the song with their own touch. There is also no telling how many thousands of times throughout history that such songs have been needed.
Today, I received a text from a friend. The text was a link to a performance of the song by James Taylor and the Lowcountry Voices of Charleston, SC. This particular performance was given as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Mother Emanuel massacre in Charleston in 2015. The text came while I was in the middle of my daily devotional time…which today I had spent praying for our world (and more specifically our country) regarding the issues of oppression and injustice surrounding the deep set racism which has always existed but, thanks to modern technology, has been brought to light in new and alarming ways that can no longer be dismissed or denied.
The power of this performance was heightened by the fact that it was representative of persons from multiple races proudly standing up together and “calling” for the hope and light that can only be realized when we acknowledge the ties between us…
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all
of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according
to the promise. (Gal. 3:28)
We are all God’s children. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. Perhaps not immediately…certainly not in the same way or to the same extent … and, as history would show, typically not even enough to get our attention. But, it must get our attention. It is not enough to form a committee to study the problem or make idle offers to pray on behalf of those who suffer. It is time to say, “No more!” or “Never Again!” Christ, by his example, showed us that words must be accompanied by actions… welcoming the stranger, joining the “other” at the well for a drink of water, eating and sharing in fellowship with outcasts, kneeling in the sand in defiance of and challenge to those who would cast stones in judgement, even going so far as to toss tables over in the church foyer and speak truth to those who would use God and God’s house as a place for personal gain.
I encourage you to think about the words of the song that inspired me today (below). Take a minute or two to do a Google search for this and other cover performances you find. While you listen to the words, pay attention to faces of those who join together in song. Allow yourself to be moved by the power of people coming together with a common hope and dream. Dig deep in the days ahead to find the ties between us…ties that God has created for our good:
“Shed A Little Light” by James Taylor
Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King
and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the Earth.
Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood, that we are bound together
in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong.
We are bound together by the task that stands before us and the road that lies ahead.
We are bound and we are bound.
There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest
Shed a little light, oh Lord, so that we can see, just a little light, oh Lord.
Wanna stand it on up, stand it on up, oh Lord,
wanna walk it on down, shed a little light, oh Lord.
Can’t get no light from the dollar bill, don’t give me no light from a TV screen.
When I open my eyes I wanna drink my fill from the well on the hill,
do you know what I mean?
There are ties between us…
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 8th, 2020
One Thing
The other morning, I sat on my front porch waiting for others to call in for the Morning Coffee/Tea time that I have set aside a couple of mornings a week. It is something that I started in response to the “stay at home order” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. With everyone forced to go into a “self-quarantine” of sorts, it seemed like a good idea to create our own “coffee shop” by using technology to connect with others outside my immediate family. I imagined that there were others who were also sitting at home, drinking coffee or tea and wishing for some human interaction. And, I was right.
Though the group of persons joining in this hour of beverage and conversation is never large, it has been a check-in point for some “regulars” and an occasional drop by visitor. No matter who joins in, the conversation is always pleasant and the service is efficient (we, of course, serve ourselves, so if there are any complaints…I haven’t heard them).
On this particular morning it seemed that I might be having coffee alone. The minutes were passing by and I was beginning to wonder if we had reached the end of a good thing. I thought that with businesses beginning to open, the weather being pleasant enough to enjoy outside activities, and individuals getting a bit of cabin fever (ok… a lot), perhaps the need for this gathering time was beginning to lessen.
To be honest, I always intended it to be a time when I would do what I always do…drink coffee, spend a brief time in devotion, and prepare for the day. If no one joined me, I would have lost nothing. And, if someone did drop in, it would be a bonus. I didn’t realize until the quiet moments arrived just how much I enjoyed the opportunity to share in unrushed, casual conversation with those that, before the pandemic, I might only see three to four times a year. I had been participating in a new expression of sacred community without even thinking about it. I had come to cherish the non-scheduled moments with these new friends. Needless to say, I was excited when I saw the first person begin to login to the “meeting.” I was definitely not ready for this to be over.
In Acts chapter 2 we read about the newly forming church…
“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those that were being saved.” (vs 46-47, NRSV)
I don’t know how many people are being saved by our coffee time, but I do know that I approach the time with a glad and generous heart. There’s something special, for me at least, in carving out a bit of time to be present with one another. Too often, in our normal way of doing life (and church), we rush around getting things done…offering a passing wave or greeting to others, but not taking the time to sit for a minute and just be together.
We know that our world is very different right now. Some things may never return to normal while many things will most likely quietly slip back into a routine. I, for one, hope that the intentionality with which we have been forced to engage in relationships with others will not be one of those things that slips away.
One thing I’ve learned through all of this is…though there is something to be said for a quiet cup of coffee, anything shared in sacred community has a much more pleasing “taste.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 1st, 2020
Again?!
Come and bring light to a people in darkness.
Come, set us free from the chains we have made.
We are your people, the flock that you tend.
Lord, open our eyes once again.[i]
This past week has been very eye opening to many, but the word at the end of the refrain (above) reminds us that we’ve been here before. An individual was being interviewed on the morning news today, and when asked what came to mind, he simply said “Again.” It was spoken as a question, an exclamation and a realization all at the same time. How could we possibly find ourselves at this place again in this day and age? Apparently, it is because we never truly left it in the first place.
I have struggled this past week with a range of emotions from anger and disappointment to heartbreak and disbelief. But, one thing I have not ever felt is fear for my life as a result of any inherent physical characteristic over which I have no control. My heart goes out to the families of countless victims over hundreds of years who experienced (and continue to experience) oppression and marginalization because of the color of their skin, often by people who claim the name of Jesus in a country that claims to hold “these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”[ii]
That range of emotions has been present for me with regards to the resulting violence as well. Though I in no way condone the violence and destruction that has come out of what began as peaceful protests, I recognize that I have no concept of the depth of despair and hopelessness that years of fear and oppression can produce. It is imperative that we all listen to the voices that are crying out for justice… refusing to give in to stereotypes and conspiracy theories…attempting to see things from the perspective of those who have been labeled as “other.” Faith leaders and activists around the country have capitalized on the phrase “I can’t breathe,” reminding us of our need to take a minute to breathe now. In that time of “breathing,” we must also remember our common humanity and that “God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor, displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary suffering. Such conditions are not God’s will. [We must open our] ears to hear the pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides your welfare.” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:4a)
Let me clear, though some would attempt to make this a strictly political issue, it is…at it’s core… an issue of spirituality, faith, and morality, at least for those who call themselves Christian and live their faith out in the Community of Christ. Our enduring principles (enduring because they have been important to our movement since its beginning) include The Worth of All Persons, Unity in Diversity, The Blessings of Community, Pursuit of Peace, and Responsible Choices. In addition to the Gospel message of love, these enduring principles must continue to guide us as we engage in Christ’s mission… “to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…” (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1).
We should not be here again, and we certainly should not be here still.
May our hearts and our eyes be truly be opened this time so there is no “again.”
Blessings,
Blake
[i] Refrain to “Come and Bring Light.” in Community of Christ Sings, #287.Words and Music: Kevin Keil. Lorenz Publishing Company, 1998. Used with permission, One License, # A‐721641
[ii] Declaration of Independence
For the week of May 25th, 2020
Waiting
Growing up, I remember having a front porch. It was where we spent times in the afternoon and early evening visiting with neighbors. It was also where we would sit anxiously awaiting our grandparents to arrive on Christmas morning so the festivities could begin. Though I remember countless hours hanging out on the porch, I don’t think I really appreciated how special it was. In my thirty plus years of home ownership since moving out of my childhood home…I have never had a front porch…until now. As I sat outside sipping my coffee this past Saturday … our first morning in our new house, I took the above picture and sent it in a text to a couple of people with the phrase… “It doesn’t get any better than this.” It’s amazing what time and stress and the busy-ness of life can do to one’s perspective…deepening one’s appreciation of some of the simplest things.
For nearly two months, I had waited (somewhat patiently) for this porch-sitting, coffee-sipping moment. Only 15 hours earlier, we had still been waiting in an office with our title agent wondering if things were going to fall through. We still had hope, but we dared not get too excited, just in case it didn’t happen. We told ourselves…over and over again… that “if it was meant to be, it would be, and if it wasn’t meant to be, we would find something else when the time was right.” But that didn’t make us feel any better. How could something so perfect not be God’s will? We were prepared to be devastated. I know…I know… with all of the death and division and discord in the world, how could we let something so trivial hold that kind of power over us? All I can say is, we are human. Hopefully, some who read this can relate.
It would probably make for a more inspiring story if things hadn’t worked out…if we had had to find another home at the last minute…if things hadn’t turned out so well. Although there had been many ups and downs in the process of selling and buying w house, we, ultimately, did not have to experience disappointment or devastation. In the end, I got that cup of coffee on my peaceful front porch. So what about those who are still “waiting”… waiting for an answer to a prayer … a call back from a job interview … the healing or recovery of a loved one … some “sign” of God’s presence in their life … someone to show them (not just tell them) that they are loved … just the way they are?
The point is that life is full of waiting. Things don’t often happen within our expected time frame. Sometimes they don’t happen at all. In those moments of waiting, we must remember what the Scriptures tell us about worry… “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:25-27, NRSV).
Wait but don’t worry. Waiting can be stressful, but worrying only makes it worse. Know that God always wants the best for each of us. God is with us in the waiting…rejoicing with us when our hopes are fulfilled … holding us close when they are not … and journeying with us as we find new hope in things yet unseen.
It is my hope and prayer that your waiting will bring you to a “porch-sitting, coffee-sipping” kind of moment … whatever that looks like for you. In the meantime, trust that God is waiting with you!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 18th, 2020
What Are You Looking For (Revisited)
Over the past week, I have chosen to look back to older editions of “from the Desk of…” as sources for my daily devotional. I have been interested to see which of the writings were appropriate in the moment and which ones might have value in the present. The following was originally written in January of 2017. Though there has always been division present in our world, this seemed to be a time where divisiveness was at an all time high. Unfortunately, with each passing day… and the growing restlessness caused by “stay-at-home order” and increasing economic stress… the lines of division seem only to grow. By re-posting this blog, it is my hope that we will all be reminded of our common values in Christ and in the Community of Christ… especially, but not limited to, the Worth of All Persons, the Blessings of Community, the Sacredness of Creation, and Unity in Diversity.
These are difficult and trying times, but we must remember the importance of individual perspectives…all of them, not just our own. A recent social media post reminded me that although “we may be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat.”
Here are the words from my 2017 blog post…
You’ve probably heard the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant where the blind men each approach the elephant from a different perspective, and based on feel alone, determine what the elephant is like. When asked what the elephant was like, answers range from pillar (leg) to pot (head) to brush (tail)…each one confident that their perspective was the correct one.
The same thing happens in life with the things that we see and hear. Often, two people can be in the same place at the same time where one person sees something completely missed by another. There are also times when a group of people can look at (or hear) the same thing and come away with completely different impressions, or a single person might look at (or hear) something multiple times and see something new each time. The reality is that we each approach life with different perspectives and lenses, and as John Lubbock says, “What we see depends on what we look for.”
[In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus asks John’s disciples, “What are you looking for?” One might think that the answer would be simple. After all, those who follow Christ are all looking for the same thing…right? Well…apparently, the answer is no, as so much has been done (good and bad) in the name of Christianity over the years. Obviously, we can’t do anything about what has been done in the past. But…we can influence the future.
Although we represent a variety of views and perspectives, we do…as the Community of Christ, claim a set of core values that challenge us to “look for” and support those things that uphold the worth of all persons and bring about reconciliation and healing for all. Earlier this week, In the aftermath of a divisive election season, and in anticipation of the potential for additional divisiveness, members of the National Council of Churches published a statement reminding us that, “Our faith teaches us to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).” The published statement also reminds us that, “throughout Christian scriptures, we are instructed to care for the poor and the most vulnerable.”
As we in the Chicago Mission Center give prayerful consideration to “what we are looking for,” I pray that we will look beyond personal perspectives so that we may “see” and “be” a people of Christ’s mission…a people that truly stands up for that which we claim.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 11th, 2020
Where is God?
Writing a weekly blog intended to provide encouragement, inspiration, and/or challenge requires that I remain vigilant in watching for the movement of God in the people and events and circumstances around me. Sometimes, the task is easy. As a matter of fact, I often find myself having to pick and choose from several possibilities brought about by the events of the past week. If I’m being honest, however, there are also weeks that I get to the task of writing and find myself having to search far and wide for a thought or a topic. Could it be that God is taking a break?
I know from my own experience that God is always moving, albeit sometimes rather subtly, in our world and, more specifically, in our lives. But in times like these…when parts of life have been put on hold, when there is increased uncertainty and division, when we find ourselves separated from those we love by “stay at home orders,” when our interactions are limited to online “meetings” or face-covered encounters … those movements can be all but impossible to see. And, if near impossible for those of us who remain blessed, imagine how difficult it is for those whose suffer from housing, food and job insecurities in the best of times.
I recognize that it is much easier adjust our thinking and to find God’s presence when we are blessed (when sacrifice means not being able to play a round of golf, or having to eat chicken for the third time in a week because beef and pork are in short supply…rather than living in fear of eviction or the inability to feed your children). Personally, I need only realize that I have not paid close enough attention, or I’ve paid attention to the wrong things altogether. For surely, God is present.
History and experience show that to be the case…without fail. It is at the heart of God’s promises to us … the promise that we are loved without condition and beyond our imagination… and the promise that we will never be left alone.
It is a part of my lived experience. But I also know that there are those for whom it is not. I know that there are those who go to bed at night (some even crying themselves to sleep) wondering … where is God? And, what good are promises, when the one making the promises seems absent?
whom it is not. I know that there are those who go to bed at night (some even crying themselves to sleep) wondering … where is God? And, what good are promises, when the one making the promises seems absent?
I can only tell you that, even in the physical separation from routine encounters with others, I continue to see God working in the midst of our uncertainties. In the soft blowing of the breeze…in the diversity of birds making daily trips to the bird feeders outside our back door… in the reports of birthday “parades” … in the signs of gratitude left in public spaces for healthcare workers, first responders and teachers going the extra mile with online learning… in the story of a trash collector who stopped to sing “I Believe the Children are Our Future” to a couple of teenagers taking graduation pictures in their front yard. God is present…in our world… and in you and I.
Take a moment today to look for God in your life, and be sure to share that experience with someone who is wondering. Better yet, allow God’s presence to shine through you so that others might know exactly where God is!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 4th, 2020
Beautiful Feet
In the book of Isaiah we find the words… “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (52:7)
I know there are some that would say there is no such thing as beautiful feet, but what if there really were no beautiful feet? Of course, I’m not talking about literal attractive appendages at the end of one’s legs. In this case, I’m talking more about the figurative “hands and feet of Jesus” that we as the Body of Christ are called to be in this world.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, references the passage from Isaiah after acknowledging the very reason why “beautiful feet” (at least by this definition) are so important. He says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him…But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?” (10:12-15)
In a recent adult Christian education class where we are discussing the book by Frank Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic, a conversation arose regarding our responsibility, or lack thereof, to save the world. Admittedly, in my opinion, Laubach teeters on the fine line between a full-fledged God complex and a need to leave this world and simply be with God. If I’m being honest, I’ve had days like this … days when I thought I was supposed to save the world or fix someone and other days when I wasn’t convinced that I had anything to offer. That is not to say that I have given up hope or had thoughts of self-destruction, it is more a matter of wondering if it wouldn’t be easier if I just turned my focus inward and focused on making it to “the finish line” in good standing. In those moments, I am left with the question, “Is it enough to ‘do no harm,’ or ought one also ‘do some good?’”
I have come to believe that to know God and to be Christlike is to know no other way. It is not enough to say that you believe, or that you follow Christ. Not in a world where there is so much hurt, and hatred, and chaos, and division. Christ announced and shared a vision for the coming Kingdom, and it was a Kingdom meant for “earth, as it is in Heaven.” God doesn’t ask us to wait to experience the Kingdom in some other realm. God offers us abundant life here and now, and those of us who have gotten a taste of God’s love and grace, peace and mercy cannot keep it to ourselves.
What good is a finish line if you’re all alone when you get there? God’s promises are for all of creation. No, we are not God and we cannot save or fix everything, but we can be “beautiful feet” who make God’s presence known in this world so that others might hear and know and live.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 27th, 2020
In A Little While
Renowned Christian Artist Amy Grant released a song by this title (In a Little While) back in 1982. To be honest, U2 also released a song by this title in 2000, but the meaning is not quite the same. In Amy’s version, she sings of having had a bad day and receiving a letter from a friend that brought her comfort. The letter said, “In a little while we’ll be with the father, can’t you see him smile? In a little while we be home forever in a while. We’re just here to learn to love him; we’ll be home in just a little while.” I am a big Amy Grant fan, and I loved this song… in some ways it is very comforting … but I also realize that, at least for me, it’s a little short sighted.
Today I received a picture and encouraging words from a friend in an early morning text. The picture was of an art piece portraying a moment in the story of the “Road to Emmaus” (Luke 24:13-35). The words of the text read, “This piece of art is titled ‘The Road to Emmaus.’ You know the story of the two disciples who didn’t recognize Jesus, and then their eyes were opened. I see Jesus in You! Look for Jesus today, you will recognize him.”
The words from the friend remind me that we don’t have to wait a little while to be with God. God is all around us all the time. God is present with us in and through our encounters (in person or via internet) with others and with creation. To long for something that is yet a little while away is to miss that which is already here.
No doubt, we all long for release from this time of social distancing and from a deadly virus that is leaving swaths of devastation and loss (physically, emotionally, financially, and even spiritually … for doubt and uncertainty in God’s presence often accompany such times). We can only hope that this will soon pass, and that “in a little while” we will be able to begin to restore some semblance of wholeness for ourselves, and for those whose whole world has literally been turned upside down.
The promise of the Gospel is that no matter how long we have to wait for this time to pass, we don’t ever have to wait “a little while” to be in the presence of God. God is here, weeping and mourning at our side, and also rejoicing and celebrating with us when we share the hope that we have in Him. Jesus said he came “that [we] might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), and he said “…this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). No conditions, no requirements, no masks … and no waiting!
I encourage you to look for Jesus in all of your encounters… find God in the everyday things … live life with the resolve to enjoy God’s presence now… and then share Him with someone else by being his presence for them. Don’t wait “a little while.” God has already waited long enough for all of us!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 20th, 2020
The New “Normal”
We are all getting settled in to the fact, like it or not, that our world and the way we interact in it, has changed drastically. Clearly, we are all adjusting to a new “normal,” and if nothing else, we are learning that “normal” is a moving target.
This week, I came across an article, Weird Sabbath*, on one of my favorite ministry websites called Ministry Matters (ministrymatters.com). As is often the case when meetings happen in the church… there are some who stick around to chat or move to a post-meeting meal where the conversation continues. Here are some excerpts from that article which emerged from one of those conversations…
[The words “Weird Sabbath”] feel like the best possible description for the strange, horrible gift of the time that we are in, this season brought on by a global pandemic that has ground economies to a halt and yet has also already brought a surprising amount of attention and creativity to social connection.
By now, we’ve all seen the videos from Italy of socially-distanced people standing on their balconies, singing together and creating music with whatever instruments they have on hand. We’ve seen people moving their weekly poker games online, and others using the gifts of technology to host video-chat birthday parties and dinner groups. We’ve seen local restaurants and coffee shops getting creative with food delivery, while independent bookstores are offering doorstep deliveries.
In the midst of pandemic and social crisis, people are doing some incredibly creative things to minimize the impact, to remain as socially connected as possible, and to keep life as normal as they can. But what if this season, as strange and tragic as it is, could also be an opportunity to let go of “normal?” What if this season could be a weird Sabbath?
… maybe what we need during this season is a greater openness to the weirdness of the time, a letting-go of the desire to reconstruct a normal schedule and pattern of daily living…
We cannot deny the very real struggles of the sick and dying, the economic impact on our neighbors and communities, the exhaustion of medical care providers and those still working to keep us safe, or the potential long-term effects for us all. But we must still exercise the muscles of delight and thanksgiving we have, maybe now more than ever.
May we encourage one another to give thanks for small delights even while stuck at home with stir-crazy children, spouses, or furry friends…reminding us that God’s care extends across all times and places. May we encourage one another to take a quiet, solitary walk around in creation more often, when the feeling strikes, with the time given us in this weird Sabbath.
What if instead of trying to rebuild normal schedules, normal practices, and normal lives in this time, we gave in to this weird time we are given? Maybe this is the slowing down we’ve known we needed and forgotten that we asked for, albeit coming in a way we would never want or expect.
May we rediscover the gifts of contemplative rest and contemplative action. May we discover small delights in the midst of difficult struggles and hard choices. May we discover rest and renewed patterns of daily life that are not dependent on calendar events, emails, or carefully ordered coursework. May we find greater intimacy with God, with our loved ones, and with ourselves in this Weird Sabbath.
Blessings,
Blake
*The article was originally featured in the Growing Spiritually issue of Ministry During The Pandemic, and was written by a group of United Methodist ministers (Cameron Merrill, Laura Thompson, Rich Greenway, and Monica Beacham). The idea behind the article actually focuses on an argument for the need for contemplative practices. In the excerpts I offer here, I have focused on the pieces that I believe give us and others permission to rethink “normal” as individuals and as a separated community.
For the week of April 6th, 2020
Generosity of Love
Today’s piece was written and shared by Robin K. Linkhart, Apostle in the Community of Christ.
Nearly 40 years ago my husband and I moved to Longmont Colorado. Raised in the church we looked forward to meeting our new Community of Christ congregation—the little white church on the corner in the middle of a diverse high-needs neighborhood.
That’s where I met Donnie. Part of a large family, Donnie also grew up in the church. He led a simple life working as a career custodian in the local school district. He was a gentle kind-hearted soul. Never married, Donnie lived happily with his two cats. Sunday mornings he arrived at church with a face full of smiles and cheerful greetings for all. And every Sunday without fail he humbly placed his offering envelope in the collection plate.
As I got to know Donnie better, I came to understand that the generosity he lived out in his faith community was part of a whole life of generosity. He touched the lives of everyone he knew with the gentle grace that was just a natural part of how Donnie followed the way of Jesus. The world would likely judge his gifts to be small. The reality is the consistent holy rhythms of his life generated a circle of giving that radiated love and grace touching countless lives. The portion he shared in the offering plate of his faith community became an active part of funding mission in his home-town and all across the globe. The tangible ways he shared in his everyday life with friends and neighbors did the same.
Donnie never gave the offertory statement at church or taught a class on generosity. But the way Donnie lived was a powerful response to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Donnie received God’s gift of love and grace whole-heartedly and it overflowed into a life that served others no matter where he was or what he was doing.
Watching Donnie changed my life. Donnie deepened my understanding of who Jesus is and how love brings tangible evidence of hope and healing to our world.
During the current global pandemic we are seeing acts of generosity burst forth like sunny spring flowers.
In the midst of restaurant workers losing jobs, people risking their lives trying to help others, and students without school meals, local small restaurant owners are partnering with others and converting their restaurants into community kitchens to feed hospital workers, seniors, and anyone else in need. Neighbors are helping neighbors with groceries, medication, healthcare, outside chores, delivery services, networking, a listening ear, and more.
Community of Christ continues to share ministry and mission with the world as new online ministries emerge, inspiring stories of hope are shared, and members and friends continue to share in tangible ways everyday knowing that “in their welfare resides [our] welfare” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:4a).
Generosity is the heart of Community.
Generosity is the heart of God.
Thank you for all the ways you generously share. What you give makes a difference in our world.
Today our everyday lives are impacted in profound ways as we face the challenges of a global pandemic. Our world is suffering all manner of disruption, pain, loss, fear, uncertainty, isolation, and death. It is the way of suffering love. It is also the place where transforming love is born. The kind of love that takes action, that sees need and responds through hearts of generosity. A love that seeks to be fully present even in the face of isolation. A love that transcends physical separation and vibrantly lives through the uniting presence of the Holy Spirit.
Easter announces that love, not death, is the final answer. In the days ahead may we live as Easter people following in the way of the Christ. May we truly be the hands and feet of Jesus in our daily lives generously sharing through actions of tangible love. May the circle grow wider still as we seek to realize healing and wholeness in our world.
And, always remember, the way of suffering love that leads to the cross also leads to resurrection and everlasting life in Christ’s eternal community of oneness and peace. Trust in this promise. (Doctrine and Covenants 165:6c) He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Have a blessed Easter weekend! Be safe and stay well!!
Blake
For the week of March 30th, 2020
Shelter in Place
I’m guessing that the order to “shelter in place” was a bit alarming to some. I know it was to me. It’s not that I was overly panicked about getting the virus, or that I would have to work from home… I have a home office that I use quite regularly. The panic also had nothing to do with being afraid I’d have nothing to do…I’ve been busier in the last two weeks than I could ever have imagined. I hear stories of people filling their time with reading, and puzzles, and all sorts of other things they typically don’t have time to do, and I wonder where they find the time. I now understand why retirees say they’re busier now than they were when they were working.
My panic was caused by two things … the change of routine… and the inability to be in the presence of others. Some folks enjoy quiet places and small groups (or no groups at all). I like people and being on the move. Don’t get me wrong, I love a little down time to reset. I enjoy quiet time in the car and don’t mind going to a movie theater alone (you’re not supposed to talk during a movie anyway…right?). But, as for living a sheltered life… that’s not really good for anyone. We need community.
One of the blessings of this time of “shelter in place” is that it is causing us to adjust. We recently had our wood floors refinished. In preparation for the work, we pulled up and stored all of our area rugs. The new floors were so pretty, we didn’t want to cover them up, and so the rugs have not returned. The one most affected by this change is our dog, Charlie.
Charlie has never been one to like overly comfortable accommodations. He would always choose laying on the floor over sleeping on a couch. What we didn’t realize is that he’s not fond of laying directly on the floor. Though he doesn’t require much padding, he does require some. The other day, my wife came downstairs to find Charlie curled up in a little basket (see the picture above). It was the only non-furniture, non-bare floor spot on the main floor of the house. He was able to adjust to meet his own needs. I doubt it was very comfortable for him (physically), but it provided him with a sense of normalcy in a time of change.
We too, are forced to find a sense of normalcy in a time of change. We have to do things a little differently, and it may cause a little discomfort in the beginning. In this time, we are forced to learn to use new technologies. We get together virtually. I hear more stories of families and groups of friends who have connected more in the last two weeks than they had in the last two to five years…some even longer. We are forced to be creative…to use our imagination…to do without or to do with less, and as far as I can tell, at least in some ways, we are better for it.
If our greatest discomfort comes from a little frustration caused by learning new technology, or writer’s cramp from actually writing a letter to a friend (rather than filling our time by remaining stationary, we can re-familiarize ourselves with how to use stationery), or eating what is in the pantry rather than running to our favorite restaurant…I’m pretty sure we’ll live. The question is, when the shelter in place order is removed, will we see normalcy in a new way. Will we live differently and remain intentional in our efforts to stay connected.
Something to think about!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 23rd, 2020
In Times of Uncertainty
We are living in a time of uncertainty. Stories of increasing numbers around the world of victims of a silent virus that is causing devastation and chaos and isolation abound. It is easy in times such as these to become fearful…to wonder, “where is God?”… to feel alone … and perhaps even to fall into despair. If that is where you find yourself today, let me assure you that you are not alone… GOD is with all of us… always.
If you are the kind of person who is glued to the news…waiting for someone to provide answers…hanging on every word of every “Breaking News” report…longing for a word of hope, try taking a break from the negative side of what’s happening and see what good people are doing in the midst of this crisis. Go to Youtube.com and searching for “balcony singing” or “coming together during isolation” or “surprise birthday parade.” I promise there will be something there to bring a smile to your face or a tear of joy to your eye.
God is always working in our midst. It is up to us to open our eyes and hearts to see God. People are “coming together” all around the world in new and creative ways… bringing hope in times of uncertainty.
It is human nature to experience moments (sometimes days) of fear and doubt and uncertainty, but it is God’s nature to remain constant and faithful. Sometimes we have to dig deep to find hope, but we know that hope always exists.
Christian music artist, Jeremy Camp reminds us of God’s faithfulness in the lyrics to his song “’Walk by Faith”:
Would I believe you when you would say your hand will guide my every way?
Will I receive the words you say Every moment of every day?
Well I will walk by faith even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road prepares your will for me
Help me to win my endless fears
You’ve been so faithful for all my years
With one breath you make me new
Your grace covers all I do
Well I’m broken, but I still see your face
Well you’ve spoken, pouring your words of grace
Well I will walk by faith even when I cannot see
Well, because this broken road prepares your will for me.
Bart Millard, lead vocalist of Mercy Me, shared the following in a testimony regarding his own struggles on the faith journey…
“Regardless what we go through, God is there. We have to believe that with all our hearts, or otherwise what are we doing?”
May you be reminded of God’s presence in these times of uncertainty, and may you find ways to be a light of hope in the lives of others…even during this time of separation.
Remember, “nothing can separate us from the love of God…”, neither should anything separate us from the love of one another.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 16th, 2020
Unaffected
I have often watched with awe and wonder as people otherwise divided by race, economic status, beliefs, etc. come together in times of tragedy… driving long distances to provide needed supplies to those whose homes have been lost or communities suffering from the fallout of mass violence. But what happens when, as a result of a virus, we are prohibited from such mass responses leading to a “coming together” of diverse peoples? What happens when, instead of being encouraged to come together, we are mandated to engage in social distancing? Though it may be the unintended result of the presence of technology that lets us communicate via text message and other social media, it is actually counter to the way in which many respond in times of crisis.
Though there are some in our world who are probably thrilled with the idea of not having to interact with others, or not having to feel guilty for keeping to themselves, many of us find ourselves feeling uncontrollably out of sorts in the midst of such isolation. It is actually a part of our basic instincts and inherent nature to reach out, come together, and help.
So, what do we do in such a time as this?
I am sad to say that I have heard reports saying that in addition to the recent run on toilet paper, there has been a drastic increase in gun and ammunition sales. Apparently, rather than the instinct to help that comes out in the face of some disasters, the instinct to protect one’s family and possessions has taken a more prominent place in this instance. Though I am not personally opposed to people owning firearms, I would hope and pray that we, as disciples of Christ, would direct any urge to “fight” toward a fight for the health and wellbeing of all.
We need to be mindful of the needs of others…refusing to hoard resources we don’t actually need to survive…advocating for those in jobs that don’t offer a “work at home” option…finding ways to support those who depend on outside services that are temporarily unavailable…providing emotional support to each other in an effort to alleviate feelings of isolation and fear of the unknown…speaking with kindness, patience, and compassion to those we do encounter…recognizing that this is not anyone’s fault, but it is everyone’s burden.
We have the responsibility and the opportunity to focus our attention on how we respond. Will ours be a positive response, or a self-serving response? How will we as a human community overcome that which threatens to tear us all down?
In the devastating wake of tornadoes and hurricanes and floods, we respond with love and compassion to the communities that are affected. We are able, in those situations, to separate out the affected from the unaffected based on the visible presence of physical damage. The reality is that in those situations there are none who are truly “unaffected,” for “in their welfare resides [our] welfare.” (D&C 163:4a)
In our current circumstances, our connectedness is made more evident than ever. There are those among us who may not be “infected,” but there truly are none who remain “unaffected.”
Take a minute or two today to reach out to someone by phone and see how they are doing. We can touch others without physical contact, and you never know…the voice of a friend may be just the “touch” that someone needs.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 9th, 2020
…In the Beauty of Holiness
Today’s words of encouragement were written by Roger Hintzsche, pastor of the DeKalb Community of Christ, in May of 2010. It just goes to show how sometimes there are words shared with us whose relevance is not bound by time. Thanks Roger!!
I have heard SO MANY TIMES, “I don’t come to church because I’m not good enough,” or something to that effect. Whoa! Who IS perfect?? None of us are! Certainly not me, neither the most “religious” person in the pew, nor the youngest, nor the most gifted person, etc.
Look for a moment at the image above. The serene beauty of this sunset carries with it an impending threat of no-so-nice weather somewhere underneath those clouds. In this juxtaposition of light and dark, the sun’s powerful rays expose the beauty of even the darkest thunderheads. It gave me the chance to capture this moment with my camera and enjoy this beauty for the rest of my life. OK, here comes the parallel. Our lives are powered wit the light of God’s glory. Yet in this world we face sorrow and suffering, uncertainty and despair, confusion and distractions. Like the sunset above, as we let our “light” reflect and refract around the people and situation in this troubled world, we bring beauty to bear upon it. YOU might not be able to see it but others can – and your impact has probably already changed someone for a lifetime!
“I AM a child of God and I AM good enough!” Let this become your mantra, let it sink in. As you do so, you will discover the beauty that each person exudes around you. In our congregation[s] we don’t practice perfection – it’s not ours to attain in this lifetime. So let’s simply come together and share in our sorrows and joys, practice peace with each other, lift each other up, praise God, and revel in the “Beauty of Holiness” that comes from being together!
How will you let your light shine in the presence of with darkness… bringing beauty and hope to those you encounter?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 2nd, 2020
Virtuoso?
In Doctrine and Covenants 162:5 we find the following words…
Do not be defined by the things that separate you but by the things that unite you in Jesus Christ. Over and over again you have been counseled to be reconciled, to seek the unity that is imperative to the building of the kingdom. Again the Spirit counsels the church to not allow the forces of division to divert you from your witness. Listen together to one another, without judgment or predisposition. Do not assume that the answers to They matters of conflict have yet been perceived. There is much labor to be done. Reason together in love, and the Spirit of truth will prevail.
And in 163: 3c…
There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.
Especially in times such as these, we need to be reminded to work at love. The following, Learning to Love, was written by Jake Owensby, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana, and was taken from Ministrymatters.com. It first appeared at Looking for God in Messy Places on jakeowensby.com.
They say that the legendary Delta Blues guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his extraordinary ability. say it. But his contemporaries insist that Johnson himself never told that story. Bluesman Johnny Sines, for instance, said that he would have called him a liar if he had.
Promoters and recording companies used the story to attract audiences and to sell records. But those early twentieth-century black musicians—many of whom had escaped the misery of sharecropping by laboriously developing their craft—knew an insult when they heard it.
The crossroads story suggested that, unlike their white counterparts, black musicians skipped the hard work and discipline of learning to play an instrument. Instead, they sold their souls in exchange for instantaneous, unearned talent. There is more than a hint of racism underlying such a tale.
When Robert Johnson first hit the juke joint scene, he was a lousy guitarist. After making the rounds in the Mississippi Delta for a while, he left for Arkansas and dropped out of sight. After six months he returned, displaying the musical genius that would make him an enduring influence not only in blues but also in rock and roll.
When Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards first heard one of Johnson’s recordings, he asked, “Who’s that other guy he’s playing with?” It was nobody. He was playing solo. Johnson’s style was so complex and advanced that it sounded as if two people were playing simultaneously. And so, Richards wanted to learn to play like this guy.
No demonic bargain secured this ability for Johnson. Some music historians speculate that he learned by listening to the radio and to records, to musicians that awed him with their technique and moved him with their tone. He wanted to play like those artists.
And so, he listened, he internalized what he heard, and he brought those influences to new life in his own fingers in way that exceeds mere mimicry. His style was a new creation. He was a new creation because he had heard his teachers, really heard them and honored them by making their lessons his own.
And that is what Jesus wants us to do with his teaching: Hear it, really hear it, so that we will make it our own. That’s one of the lessons of the peculiar story that we call the Transfiguration.
Jesus went to the top of a mountain, bringing with him Peter, James, and John. While they were there, Jesus was transfigured. To paraphrase Matthew, his face blazed like the sun and his clothes shimmered like snow on a cloudless day. Weird, right?
In other words, they saw him for who he really is: Love in the flesh. Secure in being God’s beloved and unhesitatingly loving. Love poured down into him from God and poured out to others from within him. The Beloved and the Lover.
In that moment, they saw precisely who they had always yearned to be without quite realizing it: their true selves; the image of God. They wanted to know themselves as loved like this guy, to love like this guy. And in answer to their deepest yearnings, they heard a voice:
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Know yourself as loved. And, paradoxically, you’ll discover yourself as loved by the love you give away. Yes, you love because you are loved. And you know that you are loved when you love.
Learning to love is sort of like learning to play guitar. You may not be very good at it initially. You might even really stink it up. But with practice, you’ll be banging out a recognizable tune. In time, you might even become a virtuoso.
But in the final analysis, you only learn to play the guitar by playing the guitar. And you only learn to love by loving.
Are you a virtuoso, or do you need a little practice?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb 24th, 2020
A Little Adjustment
A couple of weeks ago, while moving some furniture around, I ended up with either a strained or pulled muscle in my neck. No, I wasn’t lifting furniture with my head. I have no idea how the injury actually happened, but what I do know is that it left me with a very bad headache for way too long. After a couple of days of enduring the pain, I decided that I should try and get an appointment with my Chiropractor. I was in need of a little adjustment. Unfortunately, the Chiropractor was out of town for a week so I had to wait. I tried the typical over-the-counter pain relievers, but had little if any relief.
There were days when I just wanted to lay down and do nothing. At times, the pain and discomfort were intense. But, as with all of us, the ability to just let things go and do nothing was not an option for me. Life and family and work continued to require attention. So, I plowed forward with business as usual…trying my best to ignore the pain and discomfort I felt. Of course, that didn’t work. Sure, I got things done, but not at the same pace or with the same efficiency.
The good news is that the Chiropractor returned and I was able to go in for the much needed adjustment. Although I can’t say that the pain I was experiencing was gone immediately, I can say that I could feel a noticeable difference. The doctor gave me some “exercises” for my neck that will help in the healing process, and I will go back in a week to check on progress…and perhaps to get another little adjustment. It’s a process.
The same is true with so many things in life. With our relationships, with our spiritual journey, with our perspectives on the world, and with the ways we interact and engage the world on a daily basis. Without a doubt, there are things that will cause pain and/or discomfort. There may be “injuries” that cannot be completely healed, but for many things, healing is an option… a process … but an option all the same.
What we have to determine is whether or not we are willing to go through a “little adjustment”… of attitude, of pride, of perspective … in order to find healing. When we are hurt by how we perceive that someone has treated us, there’s a chance that our perception needs a little adjustment. When we are angry or disappointed in God because things didn’t turn out the way we wanted or thought they should, perhaps it is us that needs an adjustment rather than God. When we look at an individual or group of people and determine that they need “fixing” …
You get the idea.
The thing is, it’s better to recognize the need to get an adjustment sooner than later. When we hold on to things that cause pain, we only increase the chances of additional pain. Had I not gotten an adjustment for my neck, the pain would no doubt have spread to other parts of my body as a result of my attempts to compensate.
If you’ve ever injured a foot or ankle, you probably began walking differently, causing strain on other joints which eventually led to additional pain. Again, the same is true in life, when we hobble along with the pain and discomfort that sometimes comes from living in community (work, church, family, etc.), we walk through life differently. We see the world differently. We interact with others differently … with less patience, less compassion, and less empathy. But, when we take the time to get a little adjustment… the world becomes a different place. A place where Christ’s mission can come alive.
What in your life needs a little adjustment?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb. 17th, 2020
Can you See Them?
We’ve all heard the saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” It is used to refer to those times when we get so caught up in the details of a task or a problem that we can’t see the bigger picture. Sometimes something relatively small can get in the way of us seeing something bigger and better. How often have we found ourselves up against a “wall” wishing that we could get through it or go over it to accomplish something only to realize later that if we had backed up a couple of steps, we would have noticed that there was a “gap” in the wall just a little to the left or right that we could walk right through. The problem with being too close to something is that we stand to miss the spectacular thing that is just on the other side… something powerful, mighty, and possibly even life giving.
I recently realized that what may be needed to see that which lies beyond is a change of seasons. About 20 years ago, my family and I attended a camp in Nauvoo, IL. We were there in the middle of summer when all the trees had their leaves, and the underbrush surrounding the trees was thick. Although the campground sits just a few hundred yards from the mighty Mississippi River, the unknowing visitor could easily miss its presence. On our recent return to the campgrounds, during the winter months when all the trees were bare, the presence of the powerful river was unmistakable. It was as if we were at this place for the first time. What had been present all along was now clearly visible. At first, we wondered how we could have missed something so big and magnificent. It wasn’t as if a small creek had been carefully uncovered. To the contrary, the river is about a mile wide at this point in its long journey. Of course, people who have experienced the presence of the river know that it is always there, in spite of the season or the thickness of the trees. It is always close by.
The same is true of God. So often, we get caught up in the tiny details of life and the chaos often associated with those details, that we can’t see God on the other side. We go through seasons of our lives when the “leaves” (problems, busy schedules, distractions, temptations, etc.) obstruct our view. There are many in our world whose lives are like an endless summer where the view of the mighty presence of God always hidden. But, there are also those of us who have experienced God… who have seen God at work and know that just beyond the trees God is always there… in every season.
We often think of the winter as a season of cold and desolation. But it can also be a season where the mighty presence of God can be revealed…when the wall of trees that seems so pretty in the moment can actually be a barrier to something more powerful, exciting, and potentially life giving. Please note that I am not suggesting that we go around cutting down all the trees so we can see what lies beyond. I am suggesting that we find hope and comfort in knowing that in spite of the season in which we find ourselves today or tomorrow…and whether that “season” seems warm and pretty or cold and desolate… God, like the river, is always there!
Can you see them?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb. 10th, 2020
Have We Forgotten?
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been doing some writing for small groups. The focus of that writing has been based on the Exodus story. It is an amazing, and at times unbelievable, story of God’s freeing of the Israelite people from slavery in Egypt.
Time after time, along the path to freedom, the Israelites get tired and irritable. They get thirsty…they get hungry…they are pursued by the Egyptians… and they are faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. As a result, they grumble and complain. They turn to Moses and Aaron and blame them for their suffering. There is a hint of “the grass is always greener on the other side” that seeps into their thinking as they remember their time in Egypt where they were guaranteed food and shelter. It would appear that they would rather be captives in a familiar place than be free to follow God into an unknown yet promise-filled new place that God had prepared for them.
They seem to forget. They forget all that they had to endure at the hands of the Egyptians… the oppression, the abuse, the forced labor…in order to receive those things. But it is not only from long-term memory loss that they suffer. They suffer from short-term memory loss as well. They apparently forget that God is faithful to provide for their needs whether it be direction, or light, or protection, or water, or food. God hears their cries and provides. Perhaps not in the way they would expect or hope, but certainly in a way that fulfills God’s promise to them and sustains them through their struggle.
I wonder how often we fall into the same pattern of wishing for a time in the past when things, even though they might not have been perfect (in the case of the Israelites, they were outright deplorable), they were at least “comfortable” because we knew what to expect…there were no surprises. We convince ourselves that what we have (or what we had) is surely better than the struggle in which we find ourselves in the moment. We are even susceptible to believing that we are in this alone.
And yet, in our moment of need, God is there…providing, leading, protecting, caring. Have we, like the Israelites, forgotten the ways in which God blesses us? Do we only consider something a blessing if it comes in the form we want or think we need?
We need to accept the fact that God knows better than we. God showing up in unexpected ways has been the norm since the beginning… in a burning bush, in a pillar of cloud, in a manger, on the back of a donkey. God providing in unexpected ways is no different. The fact is that God is always with us and will provide if we will but be faithful.
Have we forgotten?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Feb. 2nd, 2020
Let it Go
We recently decided to have the wood floors in our house refinished. (We love dogs, but apparently our floors don’t agree!) Of course, in order to get that done, we had to be able to move everything off the floor. What we didn’t think about was how many pieces of furniture on our floor (china cabinet, curio, hutch, etc.) were filled with stuff that needed to be removed in order to move the furniture. It is truly amazing how much “stuff” one family can accumulate in just a few short years. Personally, I think the stuff reproduces in the dark. Surely, we didn’t “save” all of it ourselves!
The thought of how much we might have accumulated if we had not moved almost every five years is truly frightening. The thing is, even though we have “let go” of things with every move, there is so much that still remains. This time of preparation for floor refinishing has really got us thinking… “how much do we really need this stuff?,” and “What will be the most meaningful for our children when we’re gone?” With the opening of every drawer or cabinet, we have found ourselves asking why we have held on to this thing or that thing?
Most likely, the little girl dresses that were in style for our children … the ones that have been packed away since the early 90’s … won’t be the treasures we thought they would. They were appropriate and fitting for a time… just not this time. Toys and tools passed down from my father and grandfather have long since been replaced by newer, safer, and more efficient toys and tools. My wife had to convince me that replacing those things with newer technology didn’t mean I didn’t love my father and grandfather. In fact, perhaps I honored them by acknowledging the value of the tool or toy itself while continually seeking to move forward with the best that new knowledge and technology could provide.
And so, we have begun the process of “letting go.” The idea of letting go of things has become so prominent for us in the last couple of days, that the song from the well-known Disney movie will not leave my head. My guess is you’re already humming it yourself. When I get to the line, “the cold never bothered me anyway,” I now replace it with, “the clutter always bothered me anyway.”
Too often, we hold on to things (physical items, beliefs, memories), so tightly because we fear that we might forget. Beliefs and memories form the very core of who we are. The physical items provide tangible proof of what we have moved beyond. No doubt, there are some things that are essential and timeless … things that will be a blessing to those who come after us. But, there are also “drawers and cabinets” full of things that are no more than clutter…things that keep us from moving productively into the future.
What is it that you need to “let go” of in order that you might free up space for something new? What do you now hold that is truly essential (physically, spiritually, etc.) and what has become clutter that serves only to inhibit your ongoing journey and growing relationship with God and others? Letting go doesn’t mean you no longer love or appreciate what has gone before. In some cases, it honors the legacy and intent of the foundation that was laid.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 27th, 2020
A Place to Be
Mickey Smith, this year’s winner of the Grammy for Music Educator of the Year, is apparently quite an inspiration. In his 15 years at the school where he works, he has grown the band program from 28 students to 148 students. A program not considered “cool” by many, has become “the place to be.”
According to the story shared by CBS news and reported through other sources, Mr. Smith grew up in a small town in Louisiana… a town formed by freed slaves on the other side of the tracks, and a town that no longer even exists. Some would have said that his chances for success and perhaps even survival were limited at best… but now he’s changing the world … at least for those who come through his class.
Here is an example of an individual who made a conscious choice not to allow their present circumstances to determine their future direction. I am always drawn in by stories such stories of inspiration. For me, the most inspiring stories come from people who have refused to be victims of the adversity they face, choosing instead to use it as a foundation for determination and courage to change not only their lives but the lives of others. I recognize that though life for me has been crazy from time to time, I have never experienced true adversity or oppression. There are lots of good people doing good things in the world, but there is something special about those who you might think have little to give, yet understand more than most what it means to “give” to their full capacity.
There were two quotes from the interview with Mr. Smith that stuck out to me…
The first was in relating the story of one of the many students in which he had invested. The student was a basketball star. He was popular. But he admitted that he was headed down the wrong path until Mr. Smith stepped in. About this student, Mr Smith said, “[He] was one of those students that I can say I loved him just the way he was, but I loved him enough not to leave him the way he was.”
Mr. Smith was not judging this student. Nor do I believe that he felt the student needed to be “fixed.” What he needed was to be encouraged, loved, accepted, and challenged. I believe that Mr. Smith saw something of this student’s God given potential and knew that he was of too great a value to God to be left to journey alone on paths that might result in less than positive relationships or outcomes. Though we may feel from time to time that we are less than lovable, that is never the case. We just need people who provide companionship and mutual accountability so that we can reach our full potential and so that God’s will can be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”
The second quote that caught my attention came when he was asked why he chose to be a teacher rather than use his musical talent to perform. He said, “I think everyone should have an opportunity to pour into someone else. If you pour your cup empty I think it comes back twice as full.”
What an incredible way to look at life! Too often we are encouraged to get what is ours, and look out for number one. What Mr. Smith has come to recognize is that in giving to and sharing with others something as simple “a place to be” where they are loved because of, and in spite of, who they are, while being empowered to make responsible choices and become all that they are created to be, we are blessed beyond measure and Christ’s mission is given room to come alive.
Who do you know that is in need of “a place to be?” Pour out your cup into someone else so that God has room to fill it again to overflowing!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 20th, 2020
Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As a full time minister in a denomination that upholds the concepts of peace and justice, and in light of the fact that this week includes the annual celebration and honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I was watching a news broadcast on which Dr. King’s son, daughter, and granddaughter were reciting words from one his famous speeches, I was reminded of a book that I had been intending to read.
Those who know me well, know that I have a deep interest in social justice, but those people also know that my day to day active involvement in social justice endeavors has been relatively limited. I could blame that limited involvement on a myriad of excuses, not the least of which is the busyness of life, but no excuse is good enough. After all, I claim to follow and represent a guy whose stated mission was to “proclaim good news to the poor…freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19; Isaiah 61: 1-2a)
The book, Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson, takes a very challenging look at how many of our everyday decisions and actions create unjust circumstances for others. Don’t worry…I have no intention of “preaching” to you about things you ought to give up, boycott, or change in your life… those decisions are up to you. I would, however, like to share a few excerpts with you from the book’s introduction regarding the concept of justice.
Defining justice can be a bit slippery. I’ve heard it defines as ‘equality and fairness,’ ‘common decency,’ or ‘enforcing laws.” While all of these definitions hint at what biblical justice is all about, they don’t quite present the full picture.
Justice, at its very core, deals with relationships – our relationships to God, to each other and to the world. The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) implying that we, in a sense, represent God to the world. The responsibility of bearing God’s image ought to define our relationships, as we are to reflect God’s image to each other and have that image reflect back to God in everything that we do. And if God’s character if love, as we are told in 1 John 4:16, then to reflect God’s image is to reflect love to others in the form of care, compassion and concern for their well-being. To act justly, then, is to represent God’s love to each other and thereby honor the image of God in the other person as well.
The familiar phrase “making sure justice is served” better represents the common conception of justice. In this phrase, justice, refers to “punishment for wrongdoing”…however, justice in the biblical sense…carries a much deeper meaning than mere punishment – a meaning that includes healing and restoration as well…instead of only punishing wrongdoers in the hope that they will then live rightly, biblical justice involves healing the brokenness that marred our relationships with each other in the first place. Justice in this sense involves restoring broken relationships between people, and putting right all the ways sin and injustice harm ourselves, each other and the world.
This restoration is what the Bible says is happening when justice gets lived out. I love how The Message version of the Bible translates Isaiah 58:9-12:
If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places – firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from our of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community live again.
Imagine what life would be like if we all worked toward this kind of justice!
The bottom line is that…
Jesus had a mission, Dr. King had a dream, and we have a calling to fulfill.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Jan. 13, 2020
In Our Imperfection
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at my home congregation in Florida. I had heard stories about how a sewer pipe had backed up several months ago and flooded the building. I had seen pictures of the destruction. Portions of walls had to be removed…carpet throughout the entire building was ruined. Some furniture was salvageable, but much was lost. For a period of time, things were so bad that the congregation could not meet or worship in the building that had been built by their own hands some forty plus years ago.
When the building was finally cleared for entry, the congregation began the long process of cleaning, salvaging, and throwing out. As soon as reasonably possible, they cleared an area in the previously immaculate sanctuary and established a place to worship, even in the midst of chaos. Knowing the members of that congregation as I do, I had no doubt that this was an incredibly uncomfortable compromise. Many still longed for the beautifully appointed sanctuary atmosphere in which they could present their very best to God.
By the time of my visit, progress had been made, but the congregation was still awaiting approval to have a contractor begin the real work. Seating was a mixture of pews and chairs…the podium was front and center, but on the floor rather than on what remained of the stage … the walls still ended a couple of feet from the ground…and, the carpet had yet to be replaced. Things were far from perfect.
It was on that day, however, that the announcement was made that the contractor approval had been received and work could commence. You could feel the collective sigh of relief from those gathered…not to mention several audible expressions of joy. It was in that moment that I felt the nudge from the Spirit to share something with the congregation that was way too important to miss.
I began by acknowledging the discomfort of the ones who had endured several months of a far less than perfect worship atmosphere, but I also felt the need to remind them that even in the months of “imperfection,” God had been present with them. In spite of their surroundings, and perhaps because of their surroundings, they had been required to come together in a way that is rarely the case when things are good. They were required to ask tough questions about what was most important. They were pushed to find God in their imperfection, and to journey towards a common goal in less than ideal circumstances.
The same is true for us in our lives. We are never perfect. Sure, we may have days when all seems perfect (things go the way we plan, we don’t lose our temper or speak bad about someone else, we appreciate and are appreciated by those we encounter, and we live fully in accordance with our values and beliefs as disciples). But, there are also days that are not so perfect…when the “carpet” of our lives has been pulled out from under us…when we are in need of a little cleaning, salvaging, and restoration…when there are parts of our “walls” that have been removed and we desperately seek to have them replaced. The good news is that even in those times…God is with us. God still loves us. It is in those times that we have to be more intentional and ask tough questions about what matters most.
I told them that it was my hope and prayer that after things had been returned to their former “glory,” they would remember the days when God remained by their side, offering grace, mercy and unconditional love even in their imperfection. That is my prayer for you as well!
Perhaps a little imperfection and chaos is needed to help us remember that our God adventure is a journey of discovery and constant renewal. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need to journey…for that matter, we wouldn’t need God!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 31st, 2019
Happy New Year!
As you begin a new year and even a new decade, remember that our God is a God of new beginnings and second chances. Challenge yourself to make resolutions that will bring about a better you…a better community…and a better world, but don’t beat yourself up if you only keep your resolve for a short time. It may be 360 days before the beginning of a new year, but it’s less than 24 hours until the beginning of a new day. Besides, if you make a positive change for even a day, it is better than not having tried at all.
May this year bring you all of the blessings you deserve, and all of the opportunities you can handle!
Happy New Year,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 16th, 2019
It Will Fit…
I know that there are some who choose not to “celebrate” the Christmas season in the commercial fashion that has become so deeply engrained in our culture. There is a fear…not completely unwarranted… that the real reason of Christmas will be overshadowed … that Santa Claus will replace Jesus … that Christmas lights will replace the star shining in the East … that presents will replace the “presence” of God in our lives. I understand the concerns, and realize that we should be careful not to allow God’s greatest gift to be forgotten in the midst of all the other distractions.
That said, I personally enjoy a good story about Santa…especially one that speaks to the “Spirit of Christmas.” It’s true, no story about Santa can completely capture the real essence of Christmas on it’s own, but I believe that we can usually find “God moments” in all things if we’re paying attention.
There is a new movie put out by Disney called Noelle. The movie is narrated by the daughter, Noelle, of Santa Claus, and begins on the Christmas Eve when her brother, Nick, receives his first Santa hat and is told that it is time to begin his training. This is the point of the first God moment. Nick says that the hat doesn’t fit, only to be told by Santa that, “it will fit when you fit it.” How often are we faced with opportunities to live out our discipleship … to fill the shoes of those who have gone before … to respond to the call of God to fulfill that for which we were created, only to feel unworthy, unprepared, or unfit for the task? In those moments, we must remember that God has given us all that we need to accomplish what we are called to do.
When it appears that it is actually Noelle that “fits” the role of Santa, she is asked to tell the people of the North Pole what Christmas means to her. No, she doesn’t engage in a sermon about the birth of Jesus. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t get religious at all. But, for those who are listening, there is definitely a God moment or two wrapped up in her answer. Here’s what she said…
“I used to think that Christmas was the best day of the year. Presents and caroling, but I met people for whom it isn’t the best day because it reminds them [that] they don’t have enough to eat, or a place to live, or maybe even someone to share the day with, and it got me thinking. For thousands of years we’ve jingled bells and delivered toys and the world just gets more awful and miserable, so what’s the point. But I also met a girl at a shelter who drew these beautiful pictures, and her Christmas wish wasn’t for herself. It was for her mother to be able to find a job. And I met a woman at a marketplace who worked so hard to fill Christmas with fun and music even though she knew she might not have anyone to spend it with herself. And, I met this sweet wonderful boy, who has this big heart, and his father who doesn’t even believe in Christmas but who made sure we could be home for it. We have this list of nice people from Hong Kong to Houston doing wonderful selfless things. And then, I know Christmas can’t solve all our problems, but it gives us hope. It inspires us to be nice. That may not seem like much, but when someone’s sad or just lonely, it can be the biggest thing in the world. And…presents are part of it… but now I think it’s not just about the presents we get, but the presents we give. The presents of love and understanding… and also iPads.” (There had to be some comic relief. It was a feel-good movie after all!)
After taking a closer look at the world and engaging with (listening to) the lives of others, Noelle began to see that a big part of Christmas is presents … not only those we receive, but also those we give … the more important gifts we can give include “presence.” That is after all what God gave us in the birth of Jesus… the living presence of love and understanding.
Don’t worry that the “hat” doesn’t seem to fit you in this moment. You are a work in progress to whom God has given all that you need to be all that you have been created to be. It will fit you when you fit it!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 9th, 2019
Seating Chart
Today, as I watched person after person intentionally ignore the Salvation Army bell ringer that stood between them and the entry to the grocery store, I was reminded of a line I heard in a sermon podcast recently. The preacher raised the question, “what if we lived our lives as if we would spend eternity with everyone we had encountered in this life?” And by “encountered,” he meant every one with whom we physically crossed paths…whether or not we actually spoke to them.
I am glad to say that, when it comes to Salvation Army bell ringers and people living on the streets, I have for some time made an intentional effort to look them in the eye and greet them when I encounter them. I don’t feel compelled to put money in the bucket…or the tin can, but I do feel compelled to acknowledge them as living, breathing human beings and children of God. That said, I don’t know how many times in my life that I have by omission (either intentionally or unintentionally …consciously or subconsciously) “ignored” someone. Worse yet are the times that I have passed off such actions with the phrase, “well…I’ll never see them again anyway.”
But what if…
What if we knew that someday we would gather around God’s table with each and every one of the people with whom we had crossed paths? What if that person we accidentally cut off in traffic, or the customer service agent who couldn’t answer the question we had waited on hold for an hour to ask, or the colleague at work who talked too much and worked too little, or the so called “friend” who betrayed us … were the very ones across from whom we had to sit at God’s table … for all eternity?
Would we perhaps decide that eternal life might not be worth it after all, or would it change the way we think, and act, and treat others? I’ve always said that I’d rather stand before God and have to defend why I loved too much that to have to defend why I didn’t love someone enough. Imagine how awkward it might be, in God’s presence, to stand before those we had dismissed or treated poorly or thought less of in this life only to find out that they were loved by God with the same unconditional love and grace and welcome that we desire for ourselves?
What kind of Kingdom would it be…what good would grace be if it were only for those we chose to recognize or call friend? If it were not all inclusive, taking in those who we might deem unworthy, who is to say someone doesn’t feel the same way about us?
This week, as we come ever closer to the celebration of the birth of the Christ child … the greatest example we have of how God intends for us to be in relationship with one another … perhaps it would be good to make an extra effort to recognize others, forgive others, and live as if we will have to spend eternity at the table with them.
Who knows where we will be placed on the seating chart at the great banquet.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Dec. 2nd, 2019
Resolve
When I began “From the desk of…” several years ago, it was my initial plan to have a team of volunteer writers that would take turns sharing words of encouragement, challenge, and/or counsel…words that would push us to think and grow in our lives as participants in something larger than ourselves. Although I have ended up writing most of the blogs, I am always open to sharing the inspiration of others. This week, a friend shared a “letter from the editor” that she thought I might want to pass along…and she was right.
The following is a slightly adapted version of the original letter written by the editor of Magnolia Journal,1 Joanna Gaines. You might know Joanna and her husband Chip for their HGTV show “Fixer Upper.” Though her letter is written to those who are familiar with her magazine, that which she shares is very relevant to the lives of those who are on a faith journey. I hope you will find her thoughts as insightful as I did…
“This was a different kind of year in the life of Magnolia Journal. For the first time, we began the year with an overarching theme in mind: a yearlong focus on identity. Our team wanted to understand what it means to be human, to learn to see each other as the unique individuals we’ve all been made to be. To that end, we spent each season thinking about a different aspect related to identity: what it looks like to choose authenticity, to chase freedom, and to live in the abundance of our whole story. And now, … we’re discovering how living with resolve can lead to a determined life, one that’s unfettered by popular opinion or even the lottery of uncertainty… [and this has] made me marvel at how the rhythms of our own lives naturally mirror the way the world moves around us.
Our plan wasn’t always to commit an entire year to this one idea. Early on, identity was slated to be a single-issue theme. But it didn’t take us long to see how much there was to uncover, and ever more importantly, how much we risked not being able to unearth if we limited our discovery to a single issue. It is for times like these that I’m grateful for team members who can look beyond even our best-laid plans and who carry each issue with open hands, expectant and willing if we need to pivot. And that’s just what we did – in full agreement that the complexity of what it means to be human was worthy of all four issues this year.
Ideas around being hospitable, welcoming wonder into our daily lives, and living with curiosity require little more than a shift in perspective to pave the way for a more meaningful life. While I firmly believe that every theme we’ve shared … was precisely right for its place and time, based on virtues that any one of us could stand to gain, I’m also equally aware that the one thing we can’t stand to lose is sight of who we were made to be.
As we put this issue together, I found that the meaning of resolve is often interpreted in duality, as being both/and. Resolve can manifest as both grit and contentment: I will resolve to set my own course and I am resolved in the lot I’ve been given. It is both daring and meek. Resolve can catalyze a beginning and determine an ending.
But aside from the shape it takes, resolve steadies our gaze, and it wills us each to reach for the sun. And in doing so, it makes a way for beauty to bloom … teaching us that there is glory to be found both in the fortitude to never give up and in the grace to surrender.
A new renovation project … is prompting me to look up with expectant eyes at all there is to see in even the most forgotten places. It seems to me that making our own way in this world requires our resolve to always be weaving together the old and the new, the parts of who we’ve been with who we are still becoming. To choose that way of living – one based on all that we are and all that we could be rather than the things we’re not – begins and ends with resolve.
I hope you’ll feel resolved to honor your past year and to celebrate the holiday season however it brings you life and goodness (and to deck the halls as ambitiously as you see fit). But mostly, I hope [you are moved} to rejoice in the life that’s before you, with a sounding joy so glorious that heaven and nature sing.
It is my prayer that, like Joanna’s team, we can “look beyond our best-laid pans and carry each issue with open hands (and hearts), expectant and willing to pivot” as God continues to move in our midst.”
Blessings,
Blake
*Joanna Gaines, Editor in Chief, Magnolia Journal: inspiration for life and home, November (Winter) 2019, Vol. 4, No. 4, (Meredith Corporation: Des Moines, IA), p. 12.
For the week of Nov. 25th, 2019
The Full Armor
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this!!
I hope this “from the desk of…” finds you well…sharing (or having shared) time with family or friends remembering all of the blessings which you have both given and received in the last year. Surely, there is much for which to be thankful. The very fact that you are reading this means that you are upright and alive! That’s a great start!!
Now…the question is how to stay alive and sane through the days ahead … also known as the Christmas “season.’ A season that, for some, began when, even before Halloween, Christmas lights and decorations began making their way into store displays and radio stations changed over to the traditional Christmastime songs that most, regardless of faith tradition, can sing by heart.
It would be tempting to avoid bricks and mortar stores … and all the chaos that comes with them … since with every passing day it gets easier and easier to shop from the comfort of your own home. I mean, why not just order what you want and have it delivered directly to your house (or have it shipped free to the person for whom it was purchased). No wrapping required, no long lines, no shipping costs, no crowds, no hassle, no fighting for parking. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t require genius to figure this one out. Then again…
What would happen if we all just stayed home and kept to ourselves? I am reminded of a wise person who, when I was considering leaving the church in which I had grown up because of the things I wasn’t hearing from the pulpit, told me that if everyone who believed like I did left the church, we would never accomplish the mission to which God had called us. Granted, I know I could never accomplish the mission on my own, but I did have a choice. I could “take my toys and go home” and risk missing the opportunity to share the very message I was hoping to hear, or I could “leave the comfort of my own home” and share that message if by no other means than simply living a Christlike life in my everyday interactions. And yes, even while Christmas shopping.
For those who have not yet completely been given over to online shopping… those who still enjoy engagement with real people, the ability to interact with items before paying for them, and the exhilaration of the live and in person hunt for just the right gift, there is hope. But, let’s face it, in order for it to be a positive experience, one must be prepared. If ever there was a time to “put on the full armor of God,” it would be the Christmas shopping season. Of course, I’m not talking about the same “armor of God” mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. Although there is need for truth and righteousness and faith (cf. Eph. 6:10-17) in all, the armor needed for this task includes patience, light heartedness, and good will.
So here is a thought for those who are willing to brave the elements…
Rather than letting the decorations and music and commercialization of Christmas become the “trappings” which entice us to want to buy more, or have more, how about we let those same things become “the full armor” that we put on to lighten our mood, bring a smile to our face, and remind us to celebrate the very source of our joy. Who knows, in doing so, it may also make a difference in the lives of those we encounter in the midst of the chaos.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 18th, 2019
Don’t Settle
This past weekend, I was at a retreat where a group of aspiring leaders were gathered to pick up a few pointers on ministry with children, youth, and young adults. These were people who had agreed to be a part of a 3-year long leadership development program. What a concept? Too often, when it comes to church work, we are so happy to have a warm body that is willing to take on the roles of leadership that we vote to approve them and then set them loose for on the job “training.” Don’t get me wrong, we also pat them on the back and wish them well before going off to some obscure place to celebrate their obvious naïveté. I mean…who in their right mind would volunteer to work with middle school kids or supervise the nursery, or staff an overnight with a bunch of teenagers?
It was refreshing to spend the weekend with people who had not only seen the need to learn and grow…they were excited to listen and to ask questions. They didn’t take for granted the fact that they have been exposed to church all of their life, and therefore had little if anything to learn. They weren’t satisfied to settle for the knowledge that they had acquired from sitting through countless sermons, lectures, and Sunday school classes. There was so much already in their possession, but they were willing to consider that there was something more to learn… about themselves, about others, about the world they live in, and about God.
Although I would say that the only way to keep from learning is to shut oneself off from the world (no television, no books, no radio, no leaving the house, no communication with others), there still seem to be people who manage to engage in everyday living without learning anything. Do you know someone like that? Are you like that?
The fact is that learning something new may require that we think differently … approach the world differently … see a particular group of people differently … connect with people in a different way … or even eat different foods. The list could go on forever, but none of these things are necessarily negative. Uncomfortable, yes. Challenging, often. Life altering, most likely! Negative…only if we let them be.
A colleague of mine had a sticker on his office door that I have always remembered. It said, “A closed mind is a wonderful thing to waste!” I don’t know who was the original author, but I couldn’t agree more. When I think back to all that I thought was right and true, only to find out that many of those things were based on skewed information or limited understanding, I realize how much of life I would be missing if I hadn’t continued to learn … from my mistakes, from the wisdom and experiences of others, from children being children, from teachable moments at the most unexpected times, and from everyday life.
When I wrote my final paper for my graduate work, a paper outlining my beliefs, I concluded with this…
“I may have to change my mind, but based on what I know now, this is what I believe.”
There is something comforting in being able to settle into the knowledge that you already have, but there is something freeing in being able to admit that there is probably someone whom you have not yet met or something you have not yet experienced that may very well cause you to grow in ways you didn’t think possible.
Don’t settle! Open your heart and mind to what God has in
store for you!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 11th, 2019
A Little More Sunday
My mother-in-law has told me more than once that just hearing about my family’s schedule makes her tired. Maybe I’m just used to it, but most of the time, I don’t even think about it. I don’t know if I was born with the desire to stay busy or if I have become used to the fast pace out of necessity. Either way, for good or for bad…it is the life to which I have become accustomed. Even on those rare days when there is “nothing” on the schedule, there is always a home project list awaiting.
The good news, as some have reminded me over the years, is that I don’t have much time to get in trouble. The bad news is that I tend to forget how good life can be when there is time to breathe and just be present with those I love…when the current things of life …schedules, to do lists, expectations, projects, calls and emails … are replaced by less stressful things … laughter and conversation with close friends, exploring new places, drinking hot chocolate while waiting for a parade to begin, and being with people you love just because.
Growing up, we had those days quite often, we called them Sunday. Stores didn’t open, the internet didn’t exist (at least not in my world), we weren’t allowed to work. Instead, we sat a little longer around the table, we played board games with family or created our own games outside, we laughed and talked with neighbors on the front porch (theirs or ours) or standing at the back fence. It seems so strange now, but it was just part of life back then. No time for that now…right?! That kind of living only happens in Norman Rockwell paintings and Hallmark movies.
Not true!
This past weekend, my wife and I slipped away to spend the weekend with dear friends (more like family) from Ohio. We met midway in a little town in Indiana and had our own little “Sunday” together. We actually met on Saturday, so there were shops open that offered local wares, antiques, and other unique items. But the best parts of our time together started when the businesses shut down.
I don’t know if it’s true of all small towns in Indiana, but in this one, most of the local residents spent Monday through Saturday afternoon “entertaining” the visitors from other places. They ran the stores and markets, cooked and served in the restaurants, and played host/hostess to the masses. However, from 5pm on Saturday through sometime Monday morning…they were “closed for business.” Those from “other places” were welcome to stick around and enjoy small town life, but the locals would not be responsible for their entertainment. The time had come for them to enjoy each other…to let their hair down and perhaps do a little porch sitting themselves.
Lucky for us, we had come to the town on the weekend of the local holiday light parade and Christmas tree lighting, so Saturday options had lasted a little longer than usual. Though the events had not been planned for our entertainment, we took our place on the parade route and enjoyed the decorated floats and the joyous anticipation of the children and families who had gathered along side of us. One of the best parts was that we didn’t have to fight for a spot or worry about being crushed in the masses.
With nothing to do after the parade, we resorted to a quiet (extended) dinner where we caught up on each other’s lives and family happenings… laughing and sharing as we always do. Only after we had spent several hours together on that first night did we make our way back to our hotel rooms, with plans to have breakfast together and pick up where we left off.
Our typical routine on the final morning of these weekend getaways with our Ohio “family” includes having breakfast, packing up our stuff, and heading out to a few more shops before heading home. On this weekend, however, there was nowhere to go. And so we, along with other out of town visitors, sat in the hotel breakfast area (aka living room) sipping coffee, telling stories, and enjoying each other’s company. No schedule, no pressure, no worries… just time.
I wish I could say that I returned from this weekend determined to change my ways… to slow down … to “close for business” once a week, but I know better. What I will do, however, is try to “close for business” a little more often. Time with family and friends laughing, loving, and living is too precious and too life giving to do otherwise.
It may not be the day after Saturday every week, but I will make time for a little more “Sunday” living in my life. How about you?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Nov. 4th, 2019
Lamp Shade or Lamp Stand?
How much light is too much light? Can there really be too much light? These are questions that have been bouncing around in my head this week because of something I heard regarding a familiar scripture passage in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, verses 14 through 16.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
The person sharing the passage made the claim that, although we have the choice of whether or not to respond, we are commanded by God to shine our light…the light that has been given to us. I think the reason that it was so thought provoking for me was because, in the moment, I wasn’t sure how to balance it with other passages calling for humility (cf. Matt 18:3-4; 23:11-12; Eph 4:2-6). I was brought up to understand humility as that which is the opposite of prideful boasting. In some ways, humility is also that which requires one to “not think more highly of [themselves] than [they] ought” (Rom 12:3). So, when I was hearing what I thought to be a call to pride … a call to stand up and take control … it seemed to go against what I had been taught.
And then I realized that it is easy for someone who has been blessed by so much in his/her life to be humble without having to truly sacrifice themselves. But, for those on the margin, against whom the call to be humble can be used as a source of oppression … a means by which individuals as well as whole groups of people can be kept silent, the potential sacrifice is inconceivable.
For those living on the margins, humility isn’t necessarily a choice. Rather, it may well be a means of survival. When those who are in power are threatened by the voices, gifts, talents, and influence (the God given “light”) of others, they are quick to encourage some form of humility that is often little more than a masked form of oppression. We see this everyday… on school playgrounds when bullies have their way, in homes when children are told they will never amount to anything, in workplaces where people must live a double life in order to avoid discrimination, in churches where people are not free to be vulnerable to divine grace or live in sacred community for fear of being judged.
So…here is where my thoughts (along with God’s Spirit) have led me…
The “light” that was created within us (gifts, talents, etc.) and the “light” that has been given to us (the love of God) is worthy of being shared. We can be proud of that with which God has blessed us without being prideful. We can use our light to illuminate the light in others and empower them to share their light. There can never be too much of this kind of light! There can, however, be too little of this light. It may be hard to see, but the reality is that we are all diminished when we allow even one light to be put under a bushel. We have all been created by God for a purpose, and I believe that at least part of that purpose is to put our lights together to bring light to all the world.
Instead of allowing our words and actions to become lamp covers… extinguishing the light of others…I think we should allow our words and actions to become lamp stands…lifting up the lights of each other for all to see.
“This little light of mine…”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Oct. 28th, 2019
Bargain Shopping (Compras en Oferta)
Each week, I am tasked with shopping for the food used in our Packs for Pals weekend food program in Highland. Because of the number of families we are attempting to feed, and the limited budget that we have, it is necessary that we constantly be on the look out for bargains. We, of course, want to get the most food possible at the lowest price.
Last week, while on my way to purchase the food for the weekly program, I got to thinking about how “bargain shopping” is not only how many of us purchase our food, clothing, and other essentials. I realized that “bargain shopping” has become, in many ways, a way of life … how we approach all that we “consume.” From the way we engage in friendships to the choices we make regarding our spiritual life (and relationship with God) and everything in between, our society has told us to find the “best bang for our buck.” We often want the most we can get for the smallest investment.
The problem is that sometimes when we “get the best bang for our buck,” we also “get what we pay for.” With food and clothing, we can most likely get a pretty good deal if we’re thrifty shoppers or are committed to couponing. However, with relationships (family, friends, and … yes … God), we are likely to get just what we put in … if not a little less.
There are really two parts to the lesson here. The first is very easy to miss, and the second we simply choose to ignore or rationalize away… settling in the end for whatever we get … and perhaps complaining a little along the way.
The first is this… everything worth having has a cost. When we get food, clothing, new roofs, etc. at a discount, it is most likely NOT due to the goodwill of the producer/retailer who was willing to reduce their profit margin. Often, though not always, the “cost” was born by someone else… perhaps the laborers not being paid a fair wage, or the farmers being given less than market value for their product. We all need our dollar to stretch a little farther. However, we should never forget that our bargains may be result of someone else’s struggle.
The second is this … “everything” doesn’t just refer to physical possessions, it also includes relationships. And, when it comes to relationships, there are no bargains. There is no one to carry the cost for us. We gain or lose based on our willingness to pay the price. Unfortunately, because relationships require that both parties contribute, there may be times when it just doesn’t work. One thing is sure… relationships that require little of us will most likely produce something of little value. It’s kind of like tucking our money away in a savings account. It will probably be there when we need it, but it will probably never grow into anything of great value.
When we take God’s grace for granted and only go to God when we need something… when we go to church on Sunday mornings hoping to get something that will get us through the week with as little personal cost as possible … it’s kind of like “bargain shopping.” We may get what we need in the moment, but will the “roof” hold in the storm… will the “clothes” be durable … will the flavor of the “food” be the best?
It’s very important that we keep in mind the hidden and long term costs of bargain shopping. A good “price” is not always a good thing.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 30th, 2019
Narrow the Gap
This is not the first time I have written about the power of coming together, but has perhaps never been more important than it is now. We all know that the examples of coming together happen in the midst of catastrophic tragedy (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, etc.), but what about in the days in between? Are there not enough daily (often desperate) needs present in our communities, our congregations, our country, and our world to bring about that same kind for unity? If so, why do we continue to allow ourselves to be divided…even pitted against each other?
Because, as we have heard so many times, and specifically in counsel to the Community of Christ in 2007…
“There are subtle, yet powerful, influences in the world, some even claiming to represent Christ, that seek to divide people and nations to accomplish their destructive aims. That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. Be especially alert to these influences, lest they divide you or divert you from the mission to which you are called.” Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c
The mission to which all of humanity is called, regardless of belief system, religion, creed, race, nationality, ethnicity, etc. is to work toward a better, more just world, where all of creation can thrive. In order for that to happen, we MUST come together. This does not mean we have to agree on everything. It does mean that we have to “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3), be willing to listen to one another and speak the truth in love.
The apostle Paul also encourages us to…
“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear…put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4: 29, 31-32).
I have met plenty of people who are frustrated (even angry) at the state of the world at all levels. Chaos is rampant spiritually, emotionally, economically, ecologically, relationally, and dare I say it… politically. That said, I have yet to meet anyone on my journey that wouldn’t prefer that the chaos end. This will not happen if we focus on the things that divide us. It is up to us to find our commonalities and use those things to strengthen our world…not just ourselves.
I am encouraged by stories I have heard of diverse groups of people coming together in an intentional way around a table (often a dinner table) to listen to story and create community. It is hard work to sit around a table with those with whom we disagree, but until we do…taking the time not only to listen but to hear and learn from each other… rather than to point fingers and make accusations… the divide will only continue to grow.
What efforts can you make this week to narrow the divide? We all have to participate if we want to succeed.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 23rd, 2019
Out of Gas
I love driving my Prius. Not only does it hold an amazing amount of stuff, it gets great gas mileage, holds up well in rush hour traffic, and will go many miles after the “low gas” warning bell sounds. Though I try not to let it get to that point, I have to admit that there have been a couple of times where I held my breath over long stretches of highway in places where no exits existed. (No exits = no gas). I have no idea if it’s true, but I figure that even if I run out of gas, the car will continue to go as long as there is a charge remaining in the battery. Sure, I may not be able to top 35 miles per hour, but I’ll keep moving!!
Recently, a friend said a word, and I knew instantly that it was the best description of what I was feeling in the moment. That word was “depleted.” Even the best hybrid car will eventually stop.
There is actually something to the idea of needing to “fill up.” Our bodies will often go and go at break neck speeds for extended hours as if we are invincible. That is…until they can’t (which seems to come earlier and earlier as the years pass). Then, thanks to the incredible wisdom of our creator, our bodies have an emergency brake that often manifests itself in a physical way…either through illness or just plain exhaustion. In those moments, we all but drop dead. I imagine we have all been there at least once.
Some of us fool ourselves into believing that as long as there is a little gas left in the tank, we can keep up the pace. Perhaps we can’t get everything completed as our pace slows, but we will continue to do what we can. The question is, how good will the “doing” be? It’s one thing when you are going slow and being meticulous and intentional. It is another thing when you are going slow because your charge is low and there is no gas in the tank.
This is true not only regarding our ability to accomplish tasks, but perhaps more importantly in our discipleship journey with Christ and our relationship with God. We can go through the motions (attending church, paying our tithes, putting on our “Sunday best,” being nice to others, etc.), but that alone is like holding our breath on a long stretch of highway. When, however, we take time to fill our tanks and charge our batteries physically (better eating, exercise, proper sleep, recreation, etc.) or spiritually (sabbath, prayer, spiritual discipline, quiet listening, time in community, etc.), we are more likely to reach our destination (God’s will for us) and see the sights (unconditional love and support, sacred community, pure joy, unrestrained inclusion…you get the idea!).
A professor once asked me what I did for fun. I looked at her and began to laugh. At the time, I was a graduate student traveling two hours each way for classes, a husband, a father, and a campus minister. The only “fun” I could count was time spent with family, and there were days when that was limited to evening meal time. Her response, “you don’t have time not to!” And, though I have a tendency to fall into old patterns and habits of burning the candle at both ends so to speak, I know that her words were true. I am aware of the difference it makes.
What do you do for fun? How are you keeping your “tank” full? Are you running until you can’t, or have you figured out that God created you to need rest and renewal? Find those things that will keep you from running out of gas (physically, emotionally, spiritually) and commit to them. If necessary, give someone else permission to hold you accountable. In the meantime, I’ll try and be a better example!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of Sept. 16th, 2019
Re-Turn
Last week, as I was reading the gospel passage from the lectionary (Luke 15:1-10), I was reminded of how much we miss when we exclude people because of what we think we know. If you’re not familiar with the passage, it’s the one where Jesus is telling parables about lost sheep and lost coins…and how it’s so important to go to whatever lengths necessary to find that which is lost and return it to where it belongs. The audience was a group of scribes and Pharisees who were grumbling because Jesus was associating with “tax collectors and sinners.” Here was a group of people who were “coming near to listen to [Jesus]” (v. 1), but because of their reputation, they were automatically excluded… so much for grace and the possibility of redemption, right?
In the first of the parables, there’s the shepherd who leaves his flock of 99 sheep to go and find one that is missing. It’s not that the 99 aren’t important, it’s just that the flock is not complete when even one is missing. Then, there’s the woman who loses one of ten coins and goes to great effort (lighting a lamp, sweeping the house, and searching carefully) to find the one she lost.
In neither parable does the focus seem to be on the monetary value of the missing item. If it were about money, neither the shepherd nor the woman would likely have invited friends and neighbors to come and celebrate the find. Everyone knows that entertaining large numbers of guests can be pretty expensive.
Though there is reference to “repentance” as a reason for rejoicing in heaven, the act of repentance as it is often thought of (genuinely asking for forgiveness for some past act), could hardly be the focus here since neither sheep nor coin can repent in the traditional sense. And yet, rejoicing is clearly in order. This reference to repentance seems to have more to do with “re-turning” or “re-orienting” toward the whole…and, in the context of the Kingdom of God (which was Jesus’ primary message), that makes perfect sense. When relationships between self and God, self and others, or self and creation are not “rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, covenant, and faithfulness,” (D&C 164:6a)…when even one is not considered or is completely left out, we are all not only less than we are capable of being… we are less than God desires for us to be. We are not whole.
We can all be put in one or more groups based on gender, skin color, clothing, economic status, lifestyle, age, nationality, religion, athletic ability…you get the idea. And…every group has stereotypes associated with it. The thing is…stereotypes are rarely accurate, yet they are often used as the rationale for some level of exclusion or discrimination or power over others.
Like the sheep and the coin, our value is not monetarily based. Our value is in our presence as a part of the whole. The same is true of all of God’s creation…even the tax collectors and sinners. Perhaps it’s time to light a lamp and do a little sweeping. There is much to be gained when we “find” what has been lost (left out).
This week, as you go about your life…pay attention to how many times you are tempted to grumble rather than “come near and listen.” Don’t forget to notice how many times your actions or words are fodder for the grumbling of others. We all have good and bad moments. We all make mistakes. We all stand in the need of grace and redemption and forgiveness. We all need to “re-turn” toward God every once in a while.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of September 9th, 2019
Stand Out
How often in life we hesitate to do something for fear that it might embarrass someone near us or perhaps even be an embarrassment to ourselves? We don’t want to be seen as too silly, or childish, or crazy, or immature, or different.
Growing up, I enjoyed going to church. I liked music, art, and dance. And suffice it to say, these things did not top the list of the stereotypical “macho” characteristics for a young southern male. My desire to fit in with my peers required that I be conscious of everything I said and did. I may not have fit in everywhere, but I certainly didn’t want to stand out anywhere. I was always concerned with what others would think. One might say that humiliation was one of my greatest fears.
I’ve often joked that as a dad, it is my job to embarrass my children. I know, I know, if anyone should be empathetic about embarrassment, it should be me. Oh well…nobody’s perfect! I can’t tell you how many times my children begged me not to do something, or threatened to disown me if I did. Now they just shake their heads and cover their faces.
Last weekend, we had gone to a college football game (it’s my youngest daughter’s senior year). In order to get the fans hyped for the game, there is usually some music with a good dance beat blasting in and around the stadium. This week was no exception. It was taking everything within me not to start dancing…and then I saw a group of people dancing not far away. They were having a great time, and I told my family I was going to go and dance with them. My family didn’t believe me…challenging me to do it…even offering me money to do it (like I needed an extra incentive!).
I turned to walk toward the group, and I have to admit…all these years after leaving the bullying halls of middle school, I had second thoughts. What if the group turned and laughed at me? What if my family really did disown me? What if others in the crowd thought I was an idiot? And then I thought…if not now…at the tender age of 55… then, when? God knows my heart and my desires. God created me and loves me. God made me who I am…crazy dancing and all, and so I danced with people I didn’t know in front of hundreds of others I didn’t know.
Yes, my family shook their heads and hid at a distance (while recording the dancing), but in the end they still love me and so does God. And, I love that I was able to be myself. As long as no one gets hurt, that’s all that really matters!
What part of you are you hiding? Don’t just fit in, STAND OUT! Be yourself, and encourage others to do the same! If someone teases you, it’s probably because they are jealous!!
Blessings,
Blake/p>
For the week of September 2nd, 2019
Dream About the Good Seats
We were in the fifth row…right behind home plate. The seats were cushioned. We could almost reach out and touch the players as they came up to bat. We couldn’t believe how good we these seats were. In the middle of the first inning, two dads with their young boys came to sit in the row right in front of us. One of the little boys had his mitt with him…obviously hoping for a chance to catch a game ball. One might think that these little boys would have been so excited to be so close to the action. But… I could tell that the one with the mitt wasn’t happy.
I couldn’t help but overhear when this young boy’s dad asked him what was wrong. There was a long pause and then he said, “I wanted to sit in the good seats!” I couldn’t help but think… “the good seats? They don’t get any better than this!” It turns out that this little boy had hoped to sit up in the balcony where the foul balls typically go. There was no way he was going to catch a game ball in these seats. Sure, the players were close, but there was a safety net between him and the game balls. By the middle of the third inning, the dads and their little boys got up and left. I don’t know whether they left the game altogether, or if they went to find a place in the upper levels.
There we were… sitting in the “good seats,” (I would even go so far as to say “dream seats”) but I was reminded in those moments that our dreams are not everyone’s dreams, nor are the dreams of others our dreams. For me, the experience of being up close for the game was very exciting. I didn’t need a baseball to take home and put on a shelf. For the boys, on the other hand, a game ball to take home and play with was much more important than being close enough to watch someone else play.
We live in a world where some have the privilege of dreaming big while others dream of simpler things. Some think of their dream house, while others dream of having a permanent home. Some dream of having the latest wireless headphones with noise cancelling capabilities, while others dream of being able to hear. Some love dreaming, while others dream about being loved.
No one should judge the value of our dreams, nor should we judge the value of the dreams of others. In reality, some dreams are beyond the reach of even the greatest technology (medical or otherwise), but many dreams wait just around the corner. The important thing is that we all be allowed to dream and to follow those dreams with at least some reasonable chance of making them come true. What good would the Kingdom of God be if only some were able to achieve their dreams?
Today, let us dream of peace and justice in our world. Let us dream about a world where all are welcome and feel loved. Let us dream of a time when no one has to live in fear or poverty or oppression or pain. Let us dream of a time when everyone gets to sit in the “good seats” (whatever their perspective or context). Then, let’s work to make a world where those dreams can come true.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 26th, 2019
A Thousand Words
There are some days, if I’m paying close attention, that something jumps out of my surroundings and “speaks” to me in ways that I am not expecting. Today, as I went about the normal routine of completing tasks on my TODO list, I found myself sitting and waiting for the person with whom I had a meeting. While waiting, my attention was drawn to two very large paintings/pictures hanging on the walls.
One of the pictures was a close up of a steam locomotive heading straight out of the picture… “full steam ahead.” This picture portrayed a sense of energy, movement, and purpose… perhaps even urgency. The second picture hung in partial contrast to the first. It was a picture taken from underneath a pier…looking straight out through the pilings to the waters beyond. The water was calm and the picture was serene. No urgency…no movement…but for me, the sense of energy and purpose still remained.
I have been accused in the past of being like a steam locomotive…moving ahead with energy on the path toward something of great purpose…at least to me. I can’t tell you how many times I have been told by mentors, spiritual directors, even family members that I needed to take a minute to breathe… to sit in the stillness (apparently there is something scriptural about that … LOL) and listen… to consider all of the options. The truth is that I have actually gotten much better at that. I have learned the value of pausing for the breath, and of listening for God’s direction…in activities, in ministries, in relationships…most of the time.
Though there are others like me who find themselves caught somewhere in between the two (contemplation and action…pausing and pushing through), there are many who choose one method or the other. As I sat today contemplating the two contrasting pictures hanging on the walls (for the record, the picture portraying calm was larger than the one portraying urgency…I wonder if God was sending an extra message just for me!), I realized that the writer of Ecclesiastes hit the mark when he said, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1) Sure, Ecclesiastes isn’t about trains and piers, but life in the Kingdom of God is about balance. There is a time to pause and a time to push through. Both have energy and purpose.
In order to find our place in Christ’s mission to the world, we have to be careful not to let “pause and listen” become and excuse for “things are good the way they are.” But, we also have to be careful not to let “press on” become a way to avoid having to consider God’s way.
We could all benefit from keeping this in mind!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 19th, 2019
Life Before…
Last weekend my wife and I had plans to join some friends and go to the Chicago Air and Water Show. Things were not looking good on the morning of the show… a major portion of the water was in the air and making its way to the ground. Not exactly the ideal weather for an air show. We gathered at a friend’s house anyway just in case the weather cleared. There were nine of us gathered, and at least eight of the nine had our smart phones in hand… most looking up some trivia that we had just discussed.
The room was quiet for a minute or two, and then the one in the group who didn’t have a phone in hand said, “what was life like before smart phones?” Someone quickly responded that we had to go find a set of encyclopedias to find the answers to our questions…now we can find the answer to anything. Of course, the real point being raised had nothing to do with sources of knowledge, but rather the fact that people used to sit and talk to one another without distractions. She said she was not judging…simply making an observation.
In the last couple of days, I have recalled that brief exchange and have pondered some of the other things I’ve heard similar comments about (TVs, cars, microwaves, dishwashers, etc.). Depending on the item/invention, the comments range from sarcasm due to what we have lost as a result to high praise due to the fact that there are things we rely on and can’t imagine living without.
When it comes to phones, I have to admit that I am guilty of being one of those who is either holding or within reach of my phone (aka brain) at least 90 percent of every waking hour. On those rare occasions when I forget my phone, or am made to leave it behind…when I have quit checking my pocket to see what time it is… when I am finally able to ignore the phantom vibrations in my hip pocket… I actually enjoy the peace and quiet.
Here’s the thing… smart phones can be and often are a distraction, but they not the first distraction in our lives, and they are not the only distraction in our lives. Smart phones are not the reason we don’t sit together, look one another in the eye, and talk. They may be an excuse, but they are not the reason. Being on the phone, watching the TV, playing video games, working late, being alone, etc. are choices just as being in meaningful relationship with others is a choice.
Maybe we’ve just forgotten how incredible it is to be in relationship with others and with God. Maybe we’ve convinced ourselves that we can’t live without these things…we can’t be successful without pushing a little harder or working a little longer… we can’t achieve our full potential without the presence of gadgets. But what if I told you we can’t live without…be successful without…achieve our full potential without… each other in relationship.
Maybe you’re better at multi-tasking than I am, but even if you are, the best way to be about the task of relationships is to focus on them in the moment. The rest of the stuff will be there when you’re done. We don’t have to go back to “life before,” we just need to make room for “life before.”
Life before ______ (fill in the blank) may have been harder or less efficient, but life before relationships is the only thing truly unimaginable. We have been created to be in community.
I need to put down my phone (among other things) and pay attention. What is it that you need to set aside in order to focus on what really matters?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 12th, 2019
Inspiration or Impersonation
Last night I had a dream. In that dream, I was back in school and had an assignment to write a short paper telling about someone who had inspired me. In the dream (which I know was only a few seconds long in reality), I wrote and re-wrote the paper several times. Each time I would get to the end and realize that I had not fulfilled the assignment. Rather, I had written a paper about someone that I aspired to be like. Someone I wanted to be. I couldn’t get past that roadblock in the dream.
So often, I hear conversations about people who are trying hard to “be” someone else…people who appear to be willing to put up with almost anything just to be in the presence of their “idol,” or purchase things they can’t afford in an effort to make a good impression. They might say that they are inspired by the other individual(s), but I wonder if they aren’t simply longing for something they haven’t yet realized already exists within themselves…something unique and of great value.
I know that when I was in middle school and high school, I wanted so badly to be “cool.” It was very important back then for teens to be “cool,” and I didn’t quite fit the mold… at least not as others defined “cool.” I actually had a lot of friends, and was involved in a lot of things. However, there always seemed to be some other group in which I wanted to have a place. I wanted to wear the “right” clothes…say the “right” things… be good at the “right” sports (OK…I would have settled for being good at any sport… right or wrong). The problem was, being “cool” wasn’t in my DNA.
It wasn’t until after college that I realized that all of my best efforts combined were not going to help me be someone else. Trying to be “them” would only result in a bad impersonation. I would be better served attempting to be the best “me” I could be.
So…why the dream? Maybe, I needed a reminder that what is important is that I take what is best about someone else and use it to inspire myself to be my best. I can be like someone without aspiring to be them. There are some in our world who would aspire to be a Messiah or even a god, when in reality God doesn’t expect that of any of us. What God expects is that we live into the masterpiece which we were created to be.
Psalm 139 reminds me that, “it was [God] who formed my inward parts; [God] knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise [God] for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are [God’s] works; that I know very well.” I cannot claim to believe in the sacredness of creation if I don’t believe in the sacredness of my own creation. Sure, we are called to be like Christ, but not to impersonate him. We can be inspired by all that he did and all that he was. We can take that inspiration…embody it…and become our best selves.
The truth is that some of the people who inspire me the most are not the people I would aspire to be. There are many things about them that I would benefit by embodying in my own journey, but some of them have endured great tragedy and loss, or been to places I have no interest in going. What I gain from them is the knowledge that who I am and what I am is worth being…that God has given me all that I need to be the best me I can be…and, that’s not only good enough…that’s the way God planned it.
I pray that you will have the same confidence and courage to be happy being the best you! Choose inspiration over impersonation. If God had wanted a bunch of carbon copies, God wouldn’t have created such incredibly beautiful diversity in our world!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of August 5th, 2019
Skip Ahead
When I started out in ministry 26 years ago, I could easily make it through eight straight weeks of camp. These days, I am glad to be home after just a few short weeks of reunions and camps. Granted, I was a lot younger then, and the camps were all in one place. But, the days were long and the nights even longer (note: kids don’t sleep much while at camp, and when they don’t sleep…) Now, there are typically a few flights and/or long drives involved, but the days often end with “lights out.” One thing that hasn’t changed, is the incredible feeling that comes with making new friends, trying new things, long lakeside conversations, late night card games, laughter, campfire songs and skits, treats from the canteen/snack shop, inspiring worship that includes all ages, and camp food (well maybe not all camp food!).
If I’m being honest, as the summer schedule approaches, there are days when I wish that I could just skip ahead to Fall…that I wouldn’t have to worry if I’d prepared enough material for class, or packed enough of the right clothes, or prepared a sermon that would reach the adults and hopefully be relevant to the kids.
Maybe there’s something in your life… a family gathering, a church event, Sunday morning worship, a high school reunion, a phone conversation with a long lost friend, the healing of a relationship that used to mean so much but has slowly slipped away… something that you wish you could just skip ahead and avoid. If so, it wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary. I think that to be human is to have those feelings from time to time, especially for the really hard things in life.
I could go on and on with stories of how I or someone I know has wished (even if only briefly) that they could avoid doing something that seemed less than interesting (or something that would take more effort than I felt I could expend or that others would appreciate) only to look back after the fact and be thankful for having pushed through.
Skipping ahead has the potential of robbing us of the opportunity to experience the abundant life that God desires for each of us. This summer, I almost missed a guest ministry assignment due to unforeseen weather that resulted in a cancelled flight and, consequently, a 30-hour delay in getting to my destination. Because the camp to which I was headed was only 3 days to begin with, there was some brief consideration of simply not going. I had to be honest and ask if it was worth the price of the plane ticket (for the camp) to have me come for only half of the time. Luckily, for me, the director of the camp wanted me to come, even if only for one day. At that camp, I met a lot of new friends, and was excited by the enthusiasm resident in the other participants. I also had the opportunity to share my story with a couple whose grandson was experiencing a struggle similar to one I had overcome. Perhaps someone else could have provided what they needed, but I believe that God was able to use me because I was there.
Whether or not every opportunity is an opportunity for God to use us for something good… I cannot say. What I can say is that 99.9% of the time when I “pushed through” instead of “skipping ahead,” I have been glad I did.
No doubt, we are all too busy, or too tired, or too __________ (you fill in the blank) to make the call, or go for a visit, or attend an event, or send a card. The thing is, when we take the time or make the effort, someone ends up being blessed, and that someone is often us.
So, before you skip ahead or avoid something altogether, think about the blessing that is waiting in the opportunity.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 25th, 2019
Blinded by Delight
When [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:35-40 NRSV)
Two well known scriptures…both making it abundantly clear, I think, what Jesus considered of primary importance. The Luke scripture, after all, is essentially Jesus’ personal mission statement. And the excerpt from the parable in Matthew serves nicely as a “how to” manual. Suffice it to say that these two scriptures play a significant role in how I understand the mission of the church and my own personal call to discipleship. Though I know it is important to worship God, I have come to a place in my life where I understand the best way to worship God and to honor God is by living into the principles and actions described in these passages.
Perhaps there was a day when a quiet, pristine, beautifully decorated place of worship was what God desired of us, but I doubt it. Sure, there were times when Jesus went up into the mountain to pray…to get away. Make no mistake, marking time for God is both right and necessary. As long as we don’t make the “space” in which we choose to worship more important than the One we worship. As long as we don’t use that space as a means to blind us from the reality of the world in which all of God’s family live… a world that is not always pristine and quiet… a world that is not always safe and clutter free… but a world that is God’s all the same.
It would be delightful if the world was as God desires it to be. It is delightful that we are blessed to have places to go for worship. But let’s not be blinded by delight. Discipleship can be hard and dirty and tedious, but it too ends in delight.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 17th, 2019
Unspoken
Creative. Comical. Dramatic. Diverse. Powerful. Rarely, in my experience, can these words be used together to describe a single play or musical … especially one put on by an amateur cast. But, I recently witnessed such a production at the local community college. The average age of the cast was probably about 14, with the lead, a college student, being the oldest. It was not only better than I expected…it was at least equal to the best musical I had ever seen…even on Broadway.
If you find yourself wondering what musical it was, you’ll just have to continue wondering. Because, although the content/storyline of the musical may have played some role in the enjoyability (and power) of the experience, the real power of the musical came from the giftedness of the individual cast members, the ways in which they interacted, and the unspoken message that “spoke” louder than words.
For a couple of hours, I witnessed what I ought to witness every time the church gathers, and what I wish I could witness everyday in every situation… a living out of diverse yet sacred community. Though the level of talent was not diverse (they were all truly amazing), the cast ranged in age and size and color. They laughed together, sang together, and danced together. They uplifted one another and encouraged one another. There were no prima donas or “show boaters.” There was no one left in the shadows. Even as the cast mingled among the audience in the lobby after the musical, their support of one another continued.
I have no idea if the message I “heard” was intended by the writers of the musical, or if it was just a coincidence brought about by the perfect storm of writing, casting, direction, acting, and talent. More importantly, I have no idea if the cast members realized the potential they wielded through their performance to make a statement that could be world changing. For that matter, I don’t know if they would have wanted to make such a statement. The thing is, they did it anyway. Consequently, I found myself running the gamut of emotions … laughing one moment, and crying the next. I did not want the musical to end.
As I think back about the musical, there are two take aways that have continued to come to mind:
First…intended or not, our “acting” (actions) has an impact on those around us. How we treat others. How we interact with one another. Whether we lift up or put down. Whether we are encouragers or discouragers. Whether we’re always trying to be soloists, or whether we sing in chorus sometimes so others can shine. Who knows, maybe we could make a world changing “statement” without even speaking a word.
Second…the pure joy that shone through the faces of the cast during and after the performance, if not due to the message that I heard, was surely at least in part due to the “family” they had created while doing the hard work of bringing the story to life. God promises us that we can experience that same pure joy when we are willing to create “family” while doing the hard work of bringing the Gospel story to life.
The writers of the musical may not have intended for me to experience their musical in the way I did, and the cast members may not have known the impact they were having on me as I watched. But it happened anyway!
No one else in the audience may have picked up on the message I “heard.” But I heard it anyway (and I’m guessing I wasn’t alone).
What impact does your daily “performance” have on others? Who in your life needs to “hear” God’s message through your actions?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of June 10th, 2019
Tidying Up
One of the most difficult things in forming community is getting to know one another at a deeper level…creating an environment where members can be real with each other without fear of judgment or exclusion…where vulnerability and transparency come as a natural result of the belief that one is excepted “as is” regardless of blemish, fault, past mistakes or poor choices.
One of the ways that our coffeehouse ministry has found helpful in breaking through barriers that make deeper relationships difficult to achieve is to start our sharing time with a few rounds of “Would you Rather…”. (i.e., would your rather have live in a mansion with servants for one year and struggle to make ends meet the rest of your life, or have just what you need all the time?). The questions we use range from very inconsequential to very thought provoking.
A couple of weeks ago, the group was confronted with a question that I believe has much more to it than was originally thought. Though I knew immediately how I would answer the question, I also knew that my answer had deep implications for my ongoing journey of discipleship. Here was the question…
“Would you rather have a bubble appear above your head revealing your every thought for all to see, or have your life be the subject of a virtual reality show where everything you do is on camera?”
Everyone in the group answered the question the same way. We all knew that it was much easier to “tidy up” our behaviors for the camera than to hide from what might appear in the thought bubble at any given moment. Perhaps you are a person who always has the purest of thoughts. Maybe you’ve never thought bad of someone who cut you off in traffic or privately questioned the motives of someone who was exceptionally nice to you “all of the sudden.” I suppose there is a chance that you’ve never opened a gift that never was and never would be on your wish list if you know what I mean.
Unfortunately, as hard as I try, there are times when I would not want my thoughts to be made public. It’s bad enough that God knows my thoughts, but at least God knows I’m trying and promises to forgive me in spite of my failures. That said, good intentions and the promise of grace and forgiveness, do not release me, as a disciple of Christ, from the responsibility of striving to do better and to be better.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8) This is our goal, but until we achieve it, we must wrestle with the reality that our world is filled with things (experiences, relationships, circumstances, etc.) threatening to fill our heads with thoughts that do not fit in any of Paul’s categories.
As is typical, I do not have the answers or solutions for achieving the goal. What I do have is the assurance that it is only in truly sacred community that we can make the kind of progress our claim of discipleship requires of us. We can not do it alone. We cannot even do it by surrounding ourselves only with those who think exactly as we do. We must open ourselves (heart, mind and spirit) to God and to one another. We must commit to the importance of relationships over issues. Doing this will require making room for mistakes and mis-steps…speaking the truth in love…and offering the grace and forgiveness to others that we desire from God for ourselves.
One thing is for sure, “tidying up” our behaviors for the sake of creating appearances of success or righteousness or personal fulfillment is like putting on a costume. It is only when we also “tidy up” our hearts and minds for the sake of the Kingdom that we can engage our world with integrity and no longer walk in fear of our secret thoughts being discovered.
Maybe it’s time for a little internal “Spring cleaning.”
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 27th, 2019
No Complaints!
I have to admit, I have a “thing” for television shows that are talent competitions. I really like new acts. I have nothing against those who have been doing “it” all their lives…those who were previously signed to a record deal that fell through…or those who already make a living performing their talent in bars or on Youtube. But, if I’m being honest (and I always am, of course!!), I am especially drawn to contestants on those shows who are truly amateurs seeking their first break. You might be surprised to hear that what I am not automatically drawn to are those contestants with a sad story alone (aka no talent). Perhaps there should be a special show for them where the object is to have the saddest story or the most troubled life leading up to their big break. But I feel that a talent show should be based on raw talent. Talent should not be discounted if the bearer of that talent was fortunate enough to bypass negative circumstances in their lives.
Trust me, my attention to this topic is not based on personal experience… I have neither a sad story nor extraordinary talent. Maybe that’s why I like watching those who do.
The exception to the “sad story” draw is when the story is met with extraordinary talent…especially talent that is discovered while attempting to overcome the story. When that happens, the result can be truly inspiring. That is the case with an act I saw this week when one of my favorite talent shows began a new season.
Here was a young man that was both blind and living with Autism. Can you imagine what kind of lonely world that would be?
Those of us who have our sight cannot imagine what life would be like without the ability to see the amazing world around us… to look into the eyes of the ones we love… to see the beauty of a waterfall cascading down the side of a mountain… to watch as a child experiences something for the first time. Those who are blind are required, to some extent, to create their own world…only imagining how things actually appear.
Although persons living with autism can typically see their surroundings, they often have differing levels of difficulty interacting in those surroundings. Persons living with autism often retreat into their own world of safety and repetition and quiet in order to survive. I doubt that I stand alone as one who sometimes wishes I could withdraw into my own world where phones don’t ring, televisions don’t exist, and people can’t find us. Make no mistake, the difference between choosing isolation and needing it to survive is huge.
This contestant who I found to be personally inspiring appeared to have limited communication skills…struggling to get even a limited number of words out in response to questions. The over-stimulation of the massive audience in front of whom he stood in that theater had to be overwhelming. But then, he sat down at the piano, and after a few words of encouragement from his mom (followed by her reminder that there were at least 20 cameras focused on him at that moment), he began to play and sing. No more hesitation, no complaints, no intimidation, and no indication at all that he had any disabling characteristics…just beautiful music.
I was reminded as I watched him just how blessed I am. In those moments when I want to withdraw because life has become too hard or too chaotic, I have the knowledge that there is always something or someone to help me overcome the resulting feelings of stress or inadequacy or inability or exhaustion. Whether it’s music or sports or knitting or cooking or painting or walking on the beach or any other of a number of options… and whether it’s time alone or time with a dear friend… I am blessed. And in those moments of blessing, I can step forward without hesitation, or complaint, or intimidation, or outward signs of insecurities which can be disabling, to accomplish what God is calling me to do and become who God is calling me to be.
The same is true for you!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 20th, 2019
What’s OK?
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a group of people that I have come to love and deeply appreciate. As brothers and sisters in Christ, they have become family. Typically, when I am with them, there is a spirit of joy and celebration present in everything that happens. This week, however, was a little different. Several members of the congregation had received news that a young man from their school had died of cancer. I arrived to find many in a deep state of grief. My heart broke for them, and I wished there was something I could do to take away their pain.
The loss of a loved one or close friend is never easy. Though there seem to be certain conditions that make it a little easier to accept (but not necessarily easier to live with)…most starting with the phrase, “they lived a long and productive life…”, what about when that is not the case? What about when the one lost is someone who has so much of life ahead…so much promise…so many dreams? What about when the loss is due to a horrible disease or an unexpected/unexplained accident or event? What then? How does one hold on to one’s faith in God rather than being consumed by questions of “why did God let this happen?”
I wish I had the answers to those questions, but unfortunately, I don’t! I’d like to be able to say to those who are experiencing loss, “it will be OK,” but unfortunately, I can’t! The reality is that there is a strong possibility that IT will never be OK for them. There will always be a piece of them missing. There will always be the possibility of lingering questions… “whys and what ifs.” [For my thoughts on “what ifs,” see last week’s From the Desk of… titled “Old Dog, New Tricks.”]
I can’t tell you how many times since my dad passed away six years ago that I have wished I could call him up on the phone and ask his advice on something, or share a story that I knew only he would understand. My dad was one those persons who had certainly lived a long (but not nearly long enough in my opinion) and productive life. My dad was also one taken by a serious illness that had slowly robbed him of his independence and limited his ability to do the things he loved. I share this because I know firsthand that at a time when one is standing face to face with mortality, the words “IT will be OK” bring little comfort.
The reality is that no words are likely to bring comfort in those moments. Grief and healing are both processes takes time. The best thing one can do in those moments is simply be present. The hope of the Gospel reminds us that even in those moments when we feel alone, Christ does not abandon us.
This week’s lectionary verses from Gospel of According to John (14:23-29) are the culmination of a section (beginning at verse 16) of Jesus’ final words to his disciples…a section in which he promises two gifts to those who know him… the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with them forever (v. 16), and the gift of a peace that is beyond this world (v. 27). Finally, he tells them…and us… “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” In these words we are also reminded of God’s words as recorded in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
IT will be…but IT may not necessarily be OK, because we are imperfect co- creators in an otherwise perfectly created world.
BUT…
We (and all who have experienced loss) WILL be OK, because God has promised that it will be so. In the meantime, we must continue to be present with and for one another…serving as the physical presence of Christ…abandoning no one…and making it known to all that they are loved. It’s the least we can do after all that God has done for us!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 13th, 2019
Old Dog, New Tricks
“I’m too old!”… “I’m too busy!” … “I don’t have what it takes!” These are just a few of the thoughts that have run through my head for the last several years when I have dared to consider learning something new. When I was young, I took guitar lessons for a while. In college, I started piano lessons…and was enjoying it until someone told me that my fingers were too short to ever be any good. He said I was wasting my time, and who has time to waste…right?… so I quit piano. Since then I’ve dabbled at a couple of hobbies/special interests. Those that I didn’t catch on to right away, I decided weren’t for me, and the others…well… I still “dabble.”
Several years ago, I began considering learning Spanish. I knew it would be useful, not only in my ministry, but in my encounters with others outside of the traditional ministry setting. But I also knew it would be hard, so I used every excuse in the book (not just those at the beginning of this blog) to avoid getting started. What if I couldn’t learn a new language? I understand that the best way to learn a new language is by spending a couple of months living in a place where only that language is spoken. By immersing oneself in the language… it becomes “sink or swim,” “do or die,” “survive or don’t.” But, let’s be honest, who has a couple of months to drop everything and go live in another country? Not me! But the thought has continued to rattle around in my head.
Unfortunately, the number of opportunities that passed because I couldn’t speak Spanish became too numerous to count… and something began to happen…the thought became a desire, and the desire became a dream.
Christopher Reeve’s once said, “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable.”
I finally developed the will to make it a reality (or at least to give it my best shot!). Two weeks ago, I set out on a journey with a good friend (who is also too old and too busy) to reach for the dream. We began taking Spanish classes in as close to an immersion as either of us is likely to get. We’ve had four sessions, and I am having the time of my life. I can’t even imagine how much fun it will be when we get to the second half of the alphabet and start learning some words!! Just kidding… we jumped right into speaking in sentences and conjugating verbs (I’m not sure I even know how to do that in English). Who knew…you can teach old dogs new tricks!!
Now I wonder… what is that you dream of trying/doing? What will it take for you to set aside all of the excuses you have in your back pocket and get to it? If I had given in when I first felt the need to learn a new language, I’d probably already be fluent by now, and I wouldn’t have had to bypass those opportunities that came so close and yet remained so far.
Years ago, I had a boss who, when asked “what if this or that happens?,” would simply say “what if it doesn’t.” He wanted those he mentored not to let fear of something keep them from trying. What might we be able to accomplish if we quit letting “what ifs” get in the way?
If you find yourself asking, “what if I reach for my dreams and I fail?,” consider this… “what if you don’t reach at all?” The outcome is the same. It’s a well-known fact that the only true guarantee of failure is to not try at all.
Old dogs can learn new tricks…they just have to work a little harder!!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of May 7th, 2019
What’s it Really Worth
We’ve probably all heard some form of the saying, “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure,” or maybe it’s the other way around. If you’re like me, there has probably been at least one “collection” somewhere in your life…if not yours, then someone you know well. Lot’s of things make the list… coins, stamps, tea cups, salt and pepper shakers, butterflies, clowns (yes, there are at least a few people who are not freaked out by clowns), antiques, cookie jars, baskets, albums (aka “vinyls” which almost joined other antiques before making a comeback)… and the list goes on. Collections range in size from a few choice items neatly displayed in a small curio, to massive amounts of non-descript items which, much to the dismay of the neighbors, spill out into the yard of the collector.
If you’ve ever been in someone’s home and noticed that they had an abundance of a particular type of item displayed throughout…you’ve probably found yourself somewhere on a spectrum between … “WOW” and “WHY?” No doubt, your response is highly defensible because it was most likely based on your own perceptions… either you like empty space or you like “filled” space… either you have a personal connection to the item(s) or you have an aversion to the item(s)… either you’re a collector or you’re not. Either way… the saying, “beauty (or value) is in the eye of the beholder (collector)” applies here. But… I recently learned that one’s reaction may simply be due to the fact that they have had no previous exposure to the item in question…
Last week, we had extended family over for a cookout. The day was a little colder than we had hoped, so most of the adults congregated inside…greeting one another, snacking on appetizers, telling stories, and generally enjoying one another’s company. The younger members of the family (and yes, right or wrong, I include myself in this group) were more determined to be tough and hang outside. Specifically, our young great nephew and great niece had a great time entertaining (and being entertained) by our rather energetic dog who loves to play fetch. They laughed and played…rolled in the grass…picked flowers (dandelions) for quite a long time. Because I like to be the favorite uncle, I decided to reward them for having played with the dog and weeded the lawn.
I went in and got two one dollar bills (one for each of them). I called them aside… anxiously anticipating the sheer joy they would exhibit when I gave them their reward. To my surprise, their reaction was more of a look of confusion. My nephew attempted to return the dollar…not understanding why I had put it in his hand. I told him that I was giving it to him “for playing with the dog.” So, he then turned and offered it to the dog as a play toy. Luckily, the dog’s response to the flashing of the dollar was much like the kid’s response had been. Only then did I realize that they had no idea what a dollar bill was. They had had no reason at their young age to have encountered cash. Like me, their parents typically use a debit card. Sure, the kids have handled change… a little something for the piggy bank or the offering at church… but never paper bills.
I knew I had some quarters in a container in my room, so after getting their parents’ permission, I asked the kids if they’d like to make a trade. When I offered four quarters (no I didn’t cheat them) in exchange for the bills I had first given them… I got the reaction that I had expected from the beginning…wide-eyed excitement, and even a little disbelief. Dogs and dandelions had been forgotten…they had money!!
I have laughed at that experience for a week now, but I have also reflected on a little nugget of truth that came from those musings… a nugget that may be of some help to those of us who desire to share with others the hope and grace and encouragement we find in our relationships with God and with each other…
“in order for people to understand the value of something, even a relationship,
they have to have been exposed to it in a meaningful way”
Too often, we assume that because we are aware of, and find great value in our own relationship with God… others will respond similarly when God is made present to them. But…what if they’ve never had an encounter with the living, grace filled, love driven God that we have come to know? What if they haven’t been “exposed” to God?
We can’t afford to leave it to chance that others will know God like we know God. We can’t expect others to react with joy to something they have never seen before. But we don’t have to… we have the option every day to expose those we encounter to the love and grace and compassion of God by the way we live and interact with them. If we do…we can change the world. If we don’t… what’s it really worth?
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 29th, 2019
Change in Church
Though some of us handle change with a little more grace than others, I think we can all agree that change is often difficult, and sometimes disheartening. We get used to the way things are. We become comfortable with that which we know and can, at least with some certainty, expect in our day to day lives. When faced with the inevitability of change, we might also agree that slow, gradual change is a little easier to “digest” (even for the more spontaneous in our midst) than radical instantaneous change.
Growing up, there were certain things that were a part of life. There was no indication that things would ever change. We had our routines, our friends, our family traditions, our favorite foods. Family members typically didn’t stray too far from the places where they grew up. We said “yes sir,” and “yes mam” not as a form of disrespect, but rather as a form of proper respect (and because spanking was still a possibility for those who lacked said proper respect).
When it came to church, attendance was non-negotiable, and “come just as you are” was never used in reference to church attendance. We dressed in our “Sunday best”… put on our “everything is great” mask… heeded the warnings to “be on our best behavior”… and sat quietly among the adults during worship. The only change in church was that which we brought from our piggy banks to put in the offering plate.
Over the years, church has become associated with a place of being together rather than a way of being together. Perhaps because we spent so many years seeing “church” as a physical structure where we spent time with God, friends and family (often several times a week), we forget that “church” is so much more than a building or a place. If we’re being honest, our ability to gather in one physical place was due in part to our limited options and our extra free time. For most of us, there were only three TV channels to choose from, each of which “signed off” at a particular time of day… one parent worked out of the home and one worked in the home… malls and stores didn’t open on Sunday… families had one car (not one car per person)… and kids made money delivering papers before school, mowing lawns, babysitting, and doing chores rather than working full-time jobs. You get the idea… life was simpler then.
But things have changed. We have so many places to be these days, and church is only one in a long list of options… both as a place to gather as well as a place to encounter God, create meaning, and make a difference in the lives of others. There are, however, a couple of things that haven’t changed… God has not changed, and God’s purpose for the church has not changed! Yes, our understanding of God changes as we grow in our awareness of the magnitude of God’s creation in all of its human and non-human diversity. Yes, our perception of God changes as we come to understand the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as being focused on love and redemption rather than anger and revenge. And yes, for many, our image of God changes/expands as we have embrace the reality that to have been created in God’s image is not about race or gender or any other category of being that could be listed, but rather about being part of something that is bigger than any one of us could fathom or imagine.
We change because we grow and learn and encounter life in new ways and new circumstances. We see people and things differently. We must also see the church differently without changing the importance of our call to be the church (the living embodiment of Christ) in the world. Church (little “c”) is and always has been where we encounter God, create meaning, and make a difference in the lives of others. Perhaps in days gone by, people most often experienced God in church buildings because that’s where they spent a majority of their time, but God doesn’t just hang out in churches (physical structures). God lives and abides where we live and abide, and the same is true for the church (ecclesia).
Don’t get me wrong…the church as a physical structure plays an important role in our lives together, and the change we are being called to is not to change from one form or church to another or to discard those physical structures. Rather, we are being asked to change our understandings, discard the boxes in which we place our God, and expand the reach of God’s peaceable Kingdom.
This kind of “change in church” may be difficult, but it also promises to be life giving!
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 22, 2019
Doing the Hard Work
As I sat and read through the headline news this morning, I was drawn to a picture and story of a Muslim woman who, while attending a conference for the Islamic Circle of North America, chose kindness over hate. The caption on her Instagram and Twitter photo read “On April 21st I smiled in the face of bigotry and walked away feeling the greatest form of accomplishment.” Another of her posts quoted Muhammad’s words… “Kindness is a mark of faith. Those who aren’t kind have no faith.”
Outside the conference hotel, protesters, at least some of whom claimed to be Christian and carried signs using hateful words and scripture references as ammunition, hurled insults and veiled threats at conference attenders. The story says that while many either walked by with eyes averted or returned hateful words, this woman chose a different path. She had her friend take a picture of her in front of the protesters with the largest smile she could conjure in the midst of their hatred. She chose to do “the hard work”… work much more in line with the teachings of Muhammad and yes…Jesus, showing kindness and expressing her faith in tangible ways.
While reading the story, I was taken back to a personal encounter I had a couple of weeks ago while stopping for a “quick” bite at a fast food restaurant. This encounter had nothing to do with racism or bigotry, but was yet another example of “doing the hard work.”
I had chosen to go inside the restaurant because the drive through line looked to be a lost cause. Unfortunately, the situation inside was no better. I entered to find a quickly moving ordering line, but the back log of persons waiting for their orders filled a majority of the space. Though there were many people waiting, I couldn’t help but notice an older woman waiting patiently “in the wings.” She didn’t seem bothered by the wait. As a matter of fact, she had an unwavering smile on her face. After placing my order, I took my place in the queue. Person after person took their order. A couple of times the woman moved to the counter thinking the tray being offered must be hers, only to step back again and continue to wait. By the time her order came up, she was the only one left ahead of me in line. She quietly stepped forward, took her tray, had a brief exchange with the young man behind the counter and then turned to go sit down.
As she passed me, she turned and said, “He asked me why I was so happy, and I told him that it was because I had been married the greatest man in the world for 60 years and that was enough.” I had not said a word to her, and yet in that moment she imparted some great wisdom. In today’s world, 60 years of marriage is a great accomplishment…and no doubt the result of a lot of hard work; yet, the fulfillment that this woman experienced was worth every bit of work put in. I didn’t talk to the employee to see if or how her response had affected him, but I’m guessing it made a difference. I know it made a difference to me…as did the wink and infectious smile I received from this woman when I stopped at her table to thank her and her husband for their incredible example.
Imagine the impact we can have when we choose to do “the hard work” of making kindness a priority in our interactions with others. What is accomplished when we meet insults with insults? What is gained when we allow ourselves to get frustrated and turn that frustration on the teenager behind the counter who has no control over the speed of the food prep? What is realized when we give in to the stereotypes and labels placed on groups of persons because of the color of their skin, the faith that they practice, or the people that they love?
Certainly not the building of the Kingdom. That takes lots of hard work.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of April 15th, 2019
Spring is Erupting
This week, we prepare to celebrate Easter… a time of resurrection and new life…a time, when you think about it, ought to be the source of a sense of awe. The following is an article written by Christine Aroney-Sine as found on aprilyamasaki.com, and is a great reminder of our need to approach the world around us as a child…
Here in Seattle spring is erupting in all its glory. Daffodils and tulips smile at me as I walk along. Cherry blossoms take my breath away as I drive down tree-lined streets, and lush green grass is emerging in the barren spots in our backyard. I love watching the kids climb trees to smell the fragrance of the cherry blossoms and giggle with delight while running barefoot through the grass. Unfortunately I am too inhibited and too busy to join them. I just snap a photo and move on.
It is sad that like me, most adults rarely get out and have fun unfettered by the tyranny of urgent deadlines and rigid schedules. Yet according to Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play, adults need to play just as much as kids do. He says nothing lights up the brain like play. He believes it is as important as oxygen for our survival and may be God’s greatest gift to humankind.
Unless you become like children you cannot enter the kingdom of God. These words from Matthew 18 riveted my attention a couple of years ago and helped change my perspective.
When I asked my Facebook friends, What childlike characteristics make us fit for the kingdom? An amazing list emerged: playfulness, awe and wonder, imagination, curiosity, love of nature, and many more. Tragically we live in a world of play deprivation, nature deficit disorder, and awe and wonder depletion. I think that as a consequence we are God deprived too.
I am increasingly convinced that rediscovering childlike wonder, the joy of play, and the delight of interacting with nature, are essential for our spiritual health. Awe and wonder, imagination and curiosity connect us to the God who is present in every moment and in everything, in a way that nothing else can. Getting out into nature improves our health, boosts our immune system, and gives us joy. These qualities enrich our contemplative core and expand our horizons to explore new aspects of our world and of our God.
It was this conviction that prompted me to write The Gift of Wonder, in which I explore twelve childlike characteristics that I think make us fit for God’s kingdom. Did you know that a daily dose of awe makes us more caring people? Regular reminiscing and nature walks make us healthier and more emotionally stable people. Gratitude transforms our lives and our faith in incredible ways.
Children experience awe a hundred times a day. Adults rarely do, but as a result of my research I have added a “daily dose of awe” experience to my spiritual disciplines. My husband and I rechristen our daily walks as “awe and wonder walks.” We point out to each other the blossom-laden trees and brilliant smiling daffodils and tulips that take our breath away. Sometimes we stop for a few minutes just to admire them. It is fun and inspirational, connecting us to God in vital and enriching ways.
My own increasing joy and delight from my “daily dose of awe” experiences encouraged me to apply the same principle to other activities. Awe begets awe. As we take notice of the awe-inspiring aspects of our world, we start to notice awe and wonder wherever we go.
Now my daily dose of awe sometimes comes from plane trips or drives around the neighborhood and out into the country. It can even come from awe-inspiring stories of resilience in the face of homelessness and abandonment. On the plane, I am the one with my window shutter up when everyone is trying to see their screens. I am inspired by the landscape we pass over. I am particularly captivated by the meandering rivers shining in the morning sunlight. That’s God doodling I exclaim.
Believing in a God who loves to get dirty hands planting gardens, who makes mud pies to put on the eyes of the blind, who does happy dances and sings with joy over all of humanity and all of creation, has revolutionized my faith. I want to continue noticing the wonder of the changing seasons and immerse myself in their beauty. I want to increasingly be drawn into the presence of our fun-loving, joy-filled God. This is a great time to get out and have some fun in God’s world. Will you join me in discovering the wonder of God and of God’s world? Plan a play date, go for a walk through your favorite park, and take time to enjoy the beauty and wonder of God.
Blessings, Blake
For the week of March 25th, 2019
Forever Friends
One need not attend a class on relationships to know that friendships are not always a forever thing. We all have childhood friends that have faded into obscurity, or best friends from high school and college that we see on our Facebook news feed, but haven’t talk to in person since graduation day. Not only are there often issues of distance … as jobs and family circumstances require unexpected moves … but there are also changes in life interests and/or priorities.
People get married, have kids, start careers…and all at different times. And, let’s face it, different family configurations and life circumstances bring different schedules, and sometimes all together different ways of approaching life. In the midst of those changes, what we thought were forever friendships wax and wane…some to return in the future and some to just quietly slip away.
But the good news is that there always seem to be those friendships that actually do stand the test of time…and distance. There are those in our lives that we can go months or even years without seeing, and then when the opportunity comes to be together again…it is as if no time has passed at all. (Too bad that things like weight, health issues, gray hair, wrinkles, etc. don’t also experience this “no time has passed” phenomenon!)
Last weekend, we had a family (good friends of ours from our time in Ohio) that came to Chicago for a visit. We had talked about such a visit a couple of times over the last five years, but it had never actually happened. It wasn’t that we had just said “we should get together some time,” or “come see us” with the usual casualness with which we ask others, “how are you doing?” It was something we both really intended to do, but the planets just hadn’t aligned before now.
We laughed, ate, visited a couple of thrift stores, played cards, told stories, ate, played disc golf, went to church, and yes…ate again. It was an incredible weekend, and, perhaps most importantly, it was evidence of the importance in investing in one another in such a way where walls come down, mutual appreciation and love are shared, hospitality is offered, and the freedom to be yourself without judgement is unmistakable.
Here are some of the questions that encounters like this cause me to ask: Is it possible to increase the number of these types of relationships in my life? Ought not this be the way all relationships in sacred community are lived out? What must I do to create the environment where this is possible with those I encounter?
I firmly believe that God desires for us to have these types of relationships with others. No doubt, God is that type of friend to us…downed walls, mutual love and appreciation, radical hospitality, and unconditional acceptance for who we are… and… always waiting to pick up where we left off in those times when “distance” has gotten in the way.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 18th, 2019
It’s OK!
Over the past two weeks, as I have engaged in my own Lenten journey of looking inward, I have also had the opportunity to speak with some others about their own journey of self-discovery and evaluation. I have found common threads between those who were struggling with whether or not their self-doubt and times of depression meant that their faith was “less than” it should be.
I hope that both those who are struggling, and those who pass judgement on the struggles of others will find something to consider in these excerpts from an article, “Suffering is Not a Sin,” by Dr Jean Neely as found in the latest edition of Sojourners magazine:
As we move through the season of Lent and consider Christ’s path to the cross, I’ve been reflecting on the meaning of Jesus’s suffering — not just physical torture and execution but his experience of inner desolation, of feeling utterly alone and abandoned by God. I wonder what Jesus might say to people in our midst who may experience God more as absence rather than comforting presence.
In our faith walk, there is much to celebrate, but insistently characterizing life as a triumphant march from glory to glory can alienate people who don’t find life quite as sunny. Church culture can feel painful for people who deal with various health issues or certain kinds of inner suffering that make it difficult to sense God’s presence. There’s little discussion in church of the “dark nights” that are a normal part of the faith journey, or the fact that such nights can last for years in some cases.
I personally used to think that my ongoing battles in this area were sinful despised by God. After all, there were clear commands throughout scripture: “Do not be anxious” and “Rejoice always.” Since there were long seasons of distress when I didn’t feel God’s love, I feared that I fell outside the reaches of God’s mercy. For many people, these issues can’t be reduced to matters of spiritual effort, but admitting to these kinds of struggles can feel the same as confessing to being an awful Christian. Perhaps it’s simply an acknowledgment of being human.
Despite what so many go around saying about how “God will never give us more than we can handle,” the reality is that life often drives people beyond their breaking point, both Christians and non-Christians alike.
Rather than demonizing inner struggle, perhaps we could acknowledge that doubt about oneself and even about God are just par for the course. I’m not suggesting that we morbidly brood over discontents or give in to any despairing tendencies we might have. I do believe, however, that we could do more to extend grace and to acknowledge our own woundedness so that people don’t feel so alone in their existential pains.
We aren’t necessarily called to “fix” people’s problems or respond to every need, but we are invited to love and carry each other’s burdens. It could help if we stop dealing in trite platitudes and stop shaming people who are in pain. We might try to be more discerning when we speak, since even well-intentioned advice can come off as judgment. Sometimes we may be called to simply embody God’s gentle and expansive welcome.
As the church, we must do better to become community that offers more hope than judgment to those who experience oppressive inner turmoil. It may help to attend more to the fact that Jesus’s own path defies common narratives regarding what it looks like to be “blessed” by God. I believe that insofar as Christ identifies with “the least of these” among us, he also identifies with all those laden with heavy inner burdens or trapped in various prisons of the mind. Perhaps we could view our coming alongside these “least” as a way of standing with our suffering Savior at the cross. For Christ holds us even when we wrestle with despair and may lack faith in God, and what we do to those who are emotionally or spiritually afflicted, we do unto him.
Blessings,
Blake
For the week of March 11th, 2019
Listening and Loving
Many in church leadership…be it in large mainline denominations or small intimate start-ups… will at some point (if they haven’t already) find themselves asking the question, “why are we not growing?” Then, they will most likely follow the question with a response something like, “I remember when…” The question is the same whether we’re talking about numbers of people in the pews on Sunday morning or the state of our personal and/or corporate walk with God.
With regards to the numbers side of the question, some would say it’s a matter of a decline in evangelism. Others might say it is because many of those who do actively “evangelize” are either hanging on to old ways that no longer seem relevant (at least to younger generations), or are simply giving Christianity a bad name by preaching one way and living another.
I can only speak from my own experience, but I have had my best success in “sharing the Gospel” through the building of relationships, and the act of proving by our actions that belonging is more important that believing when it comes to forming sacred community. And, from my vantage point, understanding and building sacred community is at the heart of successful mission. For it is only in sacred community that we can truly understand the interconnectedness of our lives, and subsequently, that “in their welfare resides [our] welfare.”
The following are excerpts from an article by Jill M. Johnson, “Reluctant Evangelists,” as found on the website, Ministry Matters:
Evangelism is a word that many of us…tend to avoid. It’s a term that evokes experiences with judgmental zealots, single-topic (“get saved”) preachers, and people who push their beliefs on others.
Recently, I ran across a job description for a company seeking a “social media evangelist.” I found it ironic that a culture that avoids this practice has now co-opted the word for other uses. Yet Paul’s question in his letter to the Roman church two thousand years ago remains relevant: “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14, NIV). If I’m not afraid to tell you about the fabulous new restaurant I found last week, why would I be reticent to tell you of the One who changed my life?
A recent study by the Barna Group, a research company focused on the intersection of faith and culture, confirms the reluctance many of us have about sharing our spiritual experiences. In its report, “Reviving Evangelism,” Barna explains that practicing Christian millennials are especially conflicted about evangelism, with almost half agreeing with the statement, “It is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.”
Christianity Today chose to headline its coverage of the Barna report with the statement, “Half of Millennial Christians Say It’s Wrong to Evangelize.” I have to wonder, though, if that headline is truly accurate. It could be instead that millennials have a different definition of evangelism and its goal. [Christian] Millennials’ faith in Christ is very important to them, but maintaining authentic relationships with a diverse group of friends is also important.
I’ve observed this dichotomy in my own millennial children. My kids and their friends don’t think it’s “wrong to share their faith,” but they prefer that these conversations happen naturally and under the right circumstances. In some ways, they are more reliant on the Holy Spirit to guide them toward the right opportunity. Also, unlike me, they didn’t grow up in an environment where discussing faith was focused on converting others to Christianity. Christianity Today’s headline could just as easily read, “Millennial Christians Can See the Beauty in Your Faith Tradition While Also Loving Jesus and His Teachings.”
The “Reviving Evangelism” report reminds us that making disciples isn’t the same thing as demographic dominance or survival; it’s about sharing the good news of God’s boundless love as expressed in Jesus. The report says, “Cultural decline and fragmentation cannot threaten the existence or integrity of the Church as a gospel community, but the failure to share our faith certainly can.”
This final quotation by author David Augsburger [has become] a profound frame of reference for evangelism: “Being listened to is so close to being loved that the average person cannot tell the difference.” Listening and loving are at times the easiest things in the world and at times the hardest. Our teacher, the Christ whom we seek to imitate, excelled at both.
Who knows, maybe Jesus…and the millennials… are on to something!
Blessings,
Blake
