The Opposite of Everything

Excerpts from the mass readings this week from the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 9: verse 24;  Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Mark 9: verse 35;  Then He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Mark 9: verse 39;  

Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Our entire story begins with light from darkness.

 

For most of us, every single one of our senses can experience the ultimate extreme on both ends of the spectrum.  Our cognitive ability, our reasoning and even our emotions perform to maximum gain when we compare and contrast the differences in and around us.

 

What events in our lives do we tend to remember the most?  The middle of the road stuff that roller coasters us through our daily experiences?  Or, the events that bring us to the extremes (physical, emotional or otherwise) of human existence?

 

The path to God is not about toeing a straight line directly to His heart.  The path to God is an extreme experience of His truth, with the understanding that we cannot toe the line without Him.

 
We can't get to Him without Him!  How is that for an opposite?  Here we are on a journey to a destination that we need to have within us to pursue.  And to make matters even more confusing, the more we desire His presence, the further away we realize we are (which brings us closer).

There is not a roller coaster in the world that can bring us the thrill that comes with trying to live our lives to die for Him.  And so the joyous journey continues!

 

There is a way and His name is Jesus Christ.

We suffer for joy.

We lose to gain.

We live to die.

 

God our Father, I humbly honor your Spirit with the intention of sharing His gifts with those whom read these words.  For this I pray to The Lord.  Amen.

Did You Bring Christ With You Everywhere Today?

About a year ago, the following poem came to me...

 

 

I received a gift from God today.

The Holy Spirit has shown me the way.

Christ our Lord is risen and alive,

So in our hearts Gods love will thrive.

 

The gift is ours, but not ours to keep.

To share His presence is what comes from deep.

The ways of the world cannot destroy,

What God the Father himself employed.

 

When Christ our Lord came into this world,

He did not search for another pearl.

He showed God is revealed from deep within.

And to prove His point, He forgave our sin.

 

So as we travel on the journey today.

Fear not what distractions come our way.

Know that in us, is the gift of His life.

And give that presence to others in strife.

 

The joy in Christ did not come from the cross.

He taught us God at every loss.

To know the Trinity as others before us,

We simply rejoice by singing a chorus.

 

The song we sing comes straight from our heart

The wisdom of Christ is the most integral part.

Of whom we are and what we know,

Of how we learn and give and grow.

 

To receive Christ, is the most faithful part.

To share Christ is the gift of His heart.

So next time anything turns you away,

Dig deep inside, because there He will stay.

 

But don't just dig to look for relief.

Share his presence to others in grief.

Remember His gift is revealed to share

And remember that we are His eternal heir.

 

Did you bring Christ with you everywhere today?

An Empty Ego

I wonder how Christ thought of himself in this world?

He didn't.

He came to serve a purpose.

His purpose was His life.  Literally!

He gave His life to God and all.

Now, how do I think of myself in this world?

Insert 100's of labels here...

Which identifier is the most significant?

Certainly I am now more of a father and husband than a surfer, for example.

 

At some point my life will be given up.

It is inevitable.

It is a reality.

Unchanging Truth.

Christ did not teach us how to live.

He taught us how to die!

He taught us how to exist, such that love is the only thing that matters.

To truly walk that walk, we must leave ourselves behind.

Have you ever noticed what happens when you are living any moment based on the love of others?

Not from the self serving notion of "what is in it for me?"...

but from the perspective of what can I offer this moment that is totally free of any restrictions.

Your Ego disappears.

In a loving moment, is it possible that the absence of self is the presence of God?

For what motivates the self sacrifice?

The trust that someone may treat me the same when I need it?  Perhaps.  Some may call that FAITH.

The potential for future gain?  Perhaps.  Some may call that HOPE.

The good feeling given to others?  Perhaps.  Some may call that LOVE.

God has given us all the ability to see Him in those moments.

We need not look any further.

A universal human truth that no one can deny is that we are all going to die.

Why not start now?

The joy that comes from the Father in His presence, releases us from this world in which we live.

Christ is the eternal messenger of that reality.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Works without Faith is Dead

Check out the Gospel of John 14:12.

In the second part of that verse Jesus teaches us, "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me shall also do the works that I do. And greater things than these shall he do, for I go to the Father".

I have spent the a good portion of my "free" time over the last few days serving our church.  My reasons for helping can be summarized briefly by sharing that I was responding to the love of God in my life.  His love for me that is.

Of all that I was asked to participate and help in, I can truthfully say that events would have worked out fine whether or not I was present.  In fact, I may have even been inclined to question why anyone would bother to invite my assistance when others clearly had it under control.

However, what kept me focused was the reality that I was present to serve The Lord through my brothers and sisters.  My interpretation of the circumstance was (and continues to be) irrelevant.

Knowing inside that I was present only as a witness to His love for us comforted me as only He can!

Towards the end of the endeavors, I was left with cleaning up after others.  I was fine with taking care of what I been called to do, but getting left with this mess to straighten up was not how this tired man envisioned the day ending.  So, in my state of self preservation and righteousness, I reached out to those whom had failed to close the loop on their commitments and lightly admonished them for the obvious oversights. I really felt as though I was being taken advantage of, so I pushed them to take care of the mess.

AND THEN I PRAYED!

Perhaps not soon enough, and yet with perfect timing and realization of the moment to grow.

 I just shared I was present to offer help in response to the love of God.
When the response was my choice, it was easy to go there.
The situation I was placed in was not only not my choice, it also made no sense to me how others could leave things as they did.
So now how do I respond?

Christ has already forgiven them and He knows the truth.  I have not a clue as to why things were as they were, so who am I to not do likewise?

Miraculously, these realizations came and I took care of what was "ailing me".
I pray for forgiveness for the moments of weakness that struck.

Brothers and sisters, I also pray that we never limit our acceptance of His love by our understanding of what is happening around us.  For He completely loves us even as we deny or try to interpret the meaning of it all.

We cannot merit or earn anything that He has to offer.

What we CAN do is everything in our power to build the relationship with him.

To know Him is to follow in His ways.

For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.

Lord Jesus Christ Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner

A couple of mornings ago I was reflecting on this desire to share.  The joy that followed and the topics to reflect on were virtually overwhelming.  My heart was filled with the peace that comes with responding in His will.

This morning, as I was preparing to venture to that place which inspires, I had no clue where to go with this next musing.  I remembered what He taught me just a few mornings back, and yet they became whispers.

What changed?

I have sinned.  At this point, the details are not relevant.  Of course, to share the details would encompass too much of this white space, because I am not talking about a single action.  I am talking about daily choices.  Big picture remains as "God is first".  Little snapshots remind me that I (dare I change that to "we"), are all sinners.  It has been that way from the start, and we have God to thank.

From the very beginning, scripture teaches us of what God has in store for us.  We also learn of evil that distracts us from His will.  Our very life starts as God created life in the beginning.  We have everything we need in Him.  And yet we have choices to make, and every single one of us fail.

Thank God!  He knew we would.  He gave us His Word.  He gave us His only Son.  He gave us His Spirit.  And by His grace and love, we received all that we desire...in the beginning.  His beginning is in all of us.  There is no other way!

God gives us the freedom and the way back to His creation.

So, on this very morning, as I was preparing to share, my focus somehow shifted to what "I" was going to share.  A couple of mornings ago, as I was reflecting on this desire to share, my entire being was tuned into what "He" wanted me to share.

The realization of that simple paradigm shift led me here.  We sin by putting our desires before God. Realization of our sinfulness, and acceptance of His most Holy Trinity, will always lead us to a more meaningful relationship in Him.

It has been that way since the beginning.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner.

In the Beginning

The desire to share is growing.

Living life within the will of God is the only thing that makes sense anymore.  Of course, the immediate question is, "How do I discern that will?"  Scripture absolutely reveals all we need to know to answer that question.  Simple Enough.

Or is it?

The challenge with anything human, is that we tend to spin things to our reality (based upon what has led us to each present moment).  Our experiences lead us to and through thought processes.  Our intelligence can create a finite experience of this life.

Our journey is filled with these apparent contradictions.  And yet, we begin to understand the truth at the core of these gifts.

The will of God is our loving presence in Him for eternity.

Let's face it.  There are countless ways to express His will, our role and how the two shall meet.  So, let's not squabble about the accuracy of expression nor the semantic structure. 

Our Father offers/wills eternal life for us.  

He offers the map, provides the compass and shines a light for us to follow.  In this moment, I am called to share a look From the Inside Out of how I am traveling along that path.

His Peace be with You.