Putting out into Deep Water - Lectio Divina - February 7, 2010

     One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

   When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

   Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Luke 5:1-5 (NIV)

PUT OUT INTO DEEP WATER.

Lord, what are you asking of me? Deep water isn’t safe. I can’t touch the bottom where I can have control. I drift at the mercy of the waves out there.  I gasp for breath between gulps of salt water. I don’t know what is lurking below my feet as I franticly paddle to keep my head above water. And you want me to live this way?

I think I will linger along the shore where the shallow water is so much safer, calmer, and peaceful. Have a good trip.....

I noticed Peter protested too. But wait, he also obeyed.  Rereading this passage I see Peter listened to you, first on the shore while he worked, washing his nets. Then with you in the boat a little from the shore. A gradually pushing out into deeper waters - all the while taking in your words and soaking in your presence. 

Lord I am not sure what deep waters you are calling me into but I see now the sacred process.  Listen, abide,obey. Listen, abide, obey. Listen, abide obey.  

Step by step, always in your presence I learn to trust you no matter the depth of the water. 

I listen, abide, and obey and follow you into deep water.

The Four Chaplains – Selfless Sacrifice

The U.S.S. Dorchester, struck by a torpedo, sank 67 years ago. I read in our local paper that our county’s American Legion Posts were commemorated the selfless act and sacrifice of four armed forced chaplains during World War II.  They are honoring a story we all should not forget.

Often just called the four chaplains, something inside me drove me to find their real names:

Reverend George L. Fox, age 42 – Methodist

Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, age 32 – Jewish

Priest john R. Washington, age 34 – Catholic

Reverend Clark V. Poling, age 32 – Reformed Church in America

Briefly the story goes like this:

The four were clergy serving the U.S. Army aboard the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester, when it was torpedoed with 900 men on board. The four managed to reach the deck quickly and worked to calm the frenzied soldiers as they passed out life vests. However, the ship sank quickly, the stock of life vests ran out—and the four chaplains handed over their own vests to save lives. They helped as many men as they could into lifeboats, and then linked arms and, saying prayers and singing hymns, went down with the ship.

"Witnesses of that terrible night remember hearing the four men offer prayers for the dying and encouragement for those who would live," says Wyatt R. Fox, son of Reverend Fox.

One witness, Private William B. Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded by dead bodies and debris. "I could hear men crying, pleading, praying," Bednar recalls. "I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that kept me going."

One of the survivors said,  "It was the finest thing I have ever seen this side of heaven." 

Of the many heroic incidents of World War II, perhaps none stirred the nation more deeply than the story of these four men of God whose courageous efforts were credited with the saving of more than 200 lives.

These four men’s hearts, minds, and actions demonstrated God’s unconditional love, no matter race, gender or beliefs. They were united in knowing eternity existed, in knowing hope and encouragement provided strength to endure even the hardest of situations and in having faith in Someone beyond their comprehension and individual religious beliefs.

The story of the four chaplains reflects God’s selfless sacrifice in His son Jesus. 

 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NIV)

I am not sure if I would have the courage to do as they did.  I hope none of us ever have to face that type of situation.

Yet each day our actions, words, and simple acts of kindness can reach beyond our differences and provide encouragement to others.  Each of us are capable to live lives that point to God.  This is a story I soon won’t forget.

Angels: God’s Ambassadors

During the month of February, the Monday post will feature a book I am reading.

Do you believe in angels?

As part of my public speaking ministry, the most frequently requested presentation is on Angels: God’s Ambassadors.  Interest in their existence and meaning peaked in the 90s, but in every group I speak to at least a couple of people will share their experience with an angel.

Bookshelves are flooded with various books about these heavenly agents. During my presentation I mention the classic one by Billy Graham and several others, but always leave the listeners with a warning also.  Many books about angels are just plain bunk.  Be sure what you are reading is Bible based.

I have a new one to recommend that is a solid reference:  Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah.  Now I have to give the basic disclosure here: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. But I am so pleased to have new Bible based material to add to my collection. The book is widely available, including here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601422699&ref=externallink_mlt_Angels_sec_1208_01

More than 60,000 units of this powerful book have sold in two past editions. This repackage of the original 1996 paperback will surely capture the attention of readers of all ages who seek a broad and thorough survey of scripture that clearly separates fact from fiction as it relates to angels.

Dr Jeremiah organizes his book around the basic topics of what angels are, when do they appear, and their relationship with God, Jesus and us. I love his chapters on what angels do with his emphasis on worship and working for God.

He rightfully gives us three warnings: 

We must not create or reshape angels according to our own fancy; we must never let angels replace God in our lives and angels must never receive our worship.  Clear guidance for anyone wanted to learn more about angels.

“Remember that angels are always one-way messengers. They are God’s messengers to us and never our messengers to God.”

An inspirational and factual book to read. 

I believe God communicates with us in many ways, one being through his ambassadors, angels.

Do you believe in angels?

You Alone - Lectio Divina - January 31, 2010

"We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death. The Lord alone gives and takes. Praise the name of the Lord!"     Job 1:21 (Contemporary English Version)

Job lost everything, Lord, and how did he react?  Did he curse You, ignore You, and deny Your existence? Did he whine, beg, or bargain?  No, he did only one thing:  he lay before You in worship. 

You hold everything in Your hands while I stumble through life falsely believing I am in control.

My heart’s desire, Lord, no matter in times of blessing or in times of sorrow, is to praise your name.

You alone are the Lord. You alone give us everything we cherish - families, friends, life itself.

You alone know what the next minute, hour, year will bring.

You alone fully understand the depth of shattered dreams, the pain of lost loved ones, and the heartbreak of betrayal. 

Daily I place my hopes, dreams, sorrow, disappointments, anger, bitterness, blessings, family, friends, writing, speaking, travel, worries and all I possess on Your altar, trembling as I let go. My eyes focus only on You, not the people and items I cling so dearly close to my heart. This is hard, Lord, to fully trust you, but I find my faith grows in the soil of praise.

Praise the name of the Lord. 

Above All, Trust in the Slow Work of God

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. 


We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. 


We should like to skip the intermediate stages. 


We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. 


Yet it is the law of all progress that is made by passing through some stages of instability and that may take a very long time. 



And so I think it is with you. 


Your ideas mature gradually.

Let them grow. 


Let them shape themselves without undue haste. 


Do not try to force them on as though you could be today what time
-- that is to say, grace --and circumstances acting on your own goodwill will make you tomorrow.




Only God could say what this new Spirit gradually forming in you will be. 



Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete. 


Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser. 
Amen.

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin wrote these words – words I have often read and pondered.

I get so caught up in the everyday rush and hassle of life – my eyes, and really my heart, racing out into the future, rarely embracing the present.

I am too often not content where I am now, wanting to “skip the intermediate stages” and get to the final performance. Confession – I have been known to peek at the last pages of a novel while still just starting the story.

Teilhard de Chardin was a native of France and a Jesuit priest who died in 1955. He trained as a paleontologist and even participated in the discovery of Peking Man.  I think it is interesting that as a priest and a paleontologist – he appreciated the long view of life.

The long view of life –

   -the appreciation of the gentle unfolding of the next stage

       – the pausing to value each moment as a new birth

            -the allowing each new thought, idea, and prayer its time to simmer into the fullest flavor.

This gives me hope in times when everything crumbles around me. Maybe the collapse is not death and destruction at all, but the walls bursting open with new life – like a cocoon spliting apart so the butterfly is set free. Or the crush of the outer husk of the seed so the new bud can grow. Or the shedding of the shell so we can stretch and grow in a new, larger home. Perhaps my worries, problems, and fears are not endings, but beginnings.

I live incomplete – a work in progress, yet I trust God will someday finish his handiwork.

Transformation occurs step by step – that is the nature of God; that is the slow work of God.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~ Lao Tzu

Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe – What do you know about these Biblical Women?

January 27 is the commemoration of Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe by many churches including my own.  I noticed this in the bulletin insert on Sunday and realized I didn’t know much about these three women.  How much do you know about these women of faith?

Lydia – Act 16

·      First convert in Macedonia

·      Women had more freedom in Macedonia than in other parts of the Roman Empire so it is not surprising she was an independent and successful business woman.

·      Seller of purple – her region was known for its purple dye. Purple dye, made from a certain mollusk, was extremely expensive. One use of it was for the stripes in the togas of Roman senators. Lydia's occupation suggests that she had considerable capital

·      Later sponsor of Paul and the Philippian church in her own home implying wealth and influence.

Dorcas – also known as Tabitha in Aramaic -- both names mean "gazelle" -Acts 9

·      Peter brought her back to life

·      She is called a disciple and is seen as always doing good and helping the poor

·      Her death deeply affect those around her - imagine what her witness was after being made alive again by Peter!

Phoebe – Romans 16 - name means “radiant”

·      She was a leader in the church in Cenchrea, a town about seven miles fro Corinth. where she helped Paul significantly

·      Paul called her “our sister” in his letter to the Romans. Phoebe probably carried the letter with her to Rome

·       Paul described her as a servant of the church, possibly a deaconess

   Though the words describing the lives and faith of these women are few and from ancient times, they continue to guide us as co-workers in the work of the Church, illustrations of compassion and in using one’s gifts and role models for women in business, social ministries and church leadership.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. 
  Helen Keller

If the Creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out. Arthur Koestler

Boldness is a word that God has placed in my heart this year.  Ponder these bold women of faith – asking yourself what role is God calling you to?

YOU’RE MINE - Lectio Divina - January 24, 2010

Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures.  The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.”

    Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart.  Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation. 

    Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.

   Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace.  No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary.Come into the presence of the Lord.

    

 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, 

   the One who got you started, Israel:

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine.

When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—

Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.

I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you!

I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.

                                    Isaiah 43:1-4 (The Message)

You’re mine.

I had to read that sentence twice.  You’re mine!

Lord you sound like You mean what You are saying. I am sorry to doubt You, but after all You are the Lord, the King of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega and all those glorious titles angels sing about and a concept man barely grasps.

You say I belong to You?

Me?

Even when I neglect You? ignore You? Think just maybe I may be in control?  You still want me? Love me? 

Lord, You overwhelm me.

I read these verses and to be honest, deep inside, I wonder what you see in us.

You’re mine

I am not just some nameless object You created and check in on from time to time.

You don’t neglect me.

You don’t ignore me.

You know my name.

You stay with me.

You want a personal, moment by moment relationship with me.

I don’t understand You at all, Lord. But thank You for knowing me, for naming me, for claiming me as Your own.