Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.

I Kings 19:3-9

I was reminded of this passage recently in speaking with a friend. We were talking about mental health, and I was reminded of the prophet Elijah who had his own bouts with fear and depression. After a great victory over the pagan prophets of Baal, Elijah found that he had gone from the heights of victory to the depths of fear and depression. Sometimes, it happens just that fast- an emotional roller coaster that hits us at unexpected times of vulnerability.

The part that I loved about this was the provision made for Elijah. God had compassion on Elijah, and sent an angel to minister to the suffering prophet. Elijah was at his lowest, suicidal even, when God sent a ministering angel who told him, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much…”

The tender acts of service and compassion restored Elijah physically and mentally. Even the mighty prophet Elijah was prone to the common human conditions- fatigue, fear, self-doubt, depression. Such is common to us all.

The restorative acts of service and compassion are also available to us all. We just need to recognize these hurts in our fellow travelers, and act like the angel sent to Elijah. We too can be restorative “angels”

Prayer: Lord, help us to see when those around us need an angel, Amen

In philosophy, Occam’s razor (also spelled Ockham’s razor or Ocham’s razor; Latin: novacula Occami) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony (Latin: lex parsimoniae). Attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian, it is frequently cited as Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as “Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity”

(Wikipedia)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”     John 13:34-35

I have always believed that any kind of theology, that is, a way of understanding God, must be the simplest, most basic thing in the world. After all, God wants his creation to be drawn to him and to know him. God would not make it a difficult and onerous thing to know and relate to him.

So, in my search for knowing God over the years, I have essentially used Occam’s razor to understand his message. The way to understand God must transcend complicated philosophies and bewildering theology.

God sent his son, Jesus, to show us the “way to live”. Hence, the followers of Jesus were known early on as followers of The Way. The way of God, the way Jesus showed, is that to live a life pleasing to God, one must love his/her neighbor. In that way, they love God.

Too simple? Maybe, but for me, the simpler the better.

Prayer: Lord, help us to love one another as a pleasing honor to you, Amen

 But the Advocate (comforter), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.                                                                    John 14:26

When I was a little kid, we learned in Catholic School that there was a Holy Ghost. Now, being a little kid, I was completely mystified by this idea, and a little scared, actually.  I mean, I was pretty sure that a Holy Ghost sent by God must be fine and all, but I certainly did not understand it.

Some years later, the Church revised its name for the Holy Ghost and called it the Holy Spirit. While this seemed like an improvement on the name, I was still pretty unclear about a Holy Spirit. I trusted that the Spirit was true, and somehow I always intuitively knew that there was something right about the concept of God having His spirit with us here on earth.  

As I have grown older, I have become much more comfortable with the idea of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is that internal assurance that God is with us, and that he loves us enough to want presence with us.

Funny that I used the word “comfortable” above, because the Holy Spirit was sent as a “comforter”. Jesus said that when he left the earth, he would give us a Comforter to encourage our soul, and help us to live out the faith that we cling to.

The Holy Spirit is indeed a mystery still, yet it is another of those things where we trust God, even when we don’t understand His workings fully.

Guess that is why we so dearly need His Spirit to guide us in the world.

Prayer: We are grateful, Lord, for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, Amen

These are my two historical novels about a character named Joseph Shepherd. The first one is about a mysterious man who appears suddenly onto the earthly scene in the early 17th century. He travels the world with a partner, Luke Greene, and together they meet some of the giants of the century- Galileo, King James, William Harvey, Francis Bacon, Oliver Cromwell, and William Bradford, captain of the Mayflower, among many others.

Shepherd is an archetype of Jesus, placed into the earth once again. I won’t spoil the endings, because they hold the answer to his appearances. My thesis was that if Jesus came again to the earth, he would once again speak truth to power and he would run afoul of the powers of the day. In fact, he would once again be persecuted and possibly killed. Jesus is always a “lightning rod” for controversy since he pursues justice fearlessly. People in power in any empire will always work to retain power, and justice and mercy may be sacrificed as a result.

In the sequel, Joseph Shepherd once again appears, this time in the United States during the Civil War. He becomes a Union soldier (field surgeon), an advisor to several Presidents, and he is involved (and unable to stop) the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley.

Once again, his upright and challenging stances conflict with the current powers, and he ends up being arrested and persecuted. Along the way his adventures bring him in contact with Thomas Edison, a young Henry Ford, Billy the Kid, John D. Rockefeller, Mark Twain, and a host of American luminaries.

My point through these books is that Jesus, no matter when or where he shows up, pursues peace, justice, mercy and healing – and he is often misunderstood and persecuted.

So, if Jesus were to show up again in a human body, how would he be treated today?

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons…                                                              I Timothy 4:1

I am guessing that you are already aware that denial of the Holocaust, which occurred during World War II, is an actual thing. Yes, there are many people who, for various reasons, have minimized or actually denied that Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, undertook to exterminate the Jewish people. Further, other people groups were also targeted, including Roma people, and people with severe disabilities, among others.  Perhaps this is because the magnitude of the atrocity beggars the imagination. We find it hard to accept this perversion in the human spirit. Yet, the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust did indeed happen.

And as frustrating and improbable as that might be, there are thousands of people (perhaps, millions) who participate in this revision of history. Despite firsthand accounts of survivors, filmed documentation of it, and the Nuremburg trials which gave legal sanctions for it with proof, none of this prevails in the mind of some people who would wish it away for racist or political reasons. They simply deny the existence of the Holocaust.

This again is a reminder that the truth needs to be told and retold. If it is not, historical revisionism, lies and conspiracy theories can take hold and deceive many. Especially in this day of misinformation, disinformation, and deliberate falsehoods, we must remain diligent in retelling the truth.

Prayer: Lord, help us spread the light of truth in the darkness of deceit, Amen

I saw on the news the other day that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) had raided a warehouse in North Bergen, New Jersey. I said to my wife while watching, “I have friends in North Bergen! Indeed, I have had many faithful readers from this city, and I was heartbroken to see the intrusion into the lives of people who were simply going about their business. Many people were terrified. Even students on their way to high school were stopped and questioned.

People have their views on immigration, and immigration enforcement. I understand that and I respect it. However, the intimidation and terror sparked by this, and other ICE raids is chilling. Indeed, I believe that it is meant to be chilling by this administration.

The issue of immigration is one that can and should be dealt with in a bipartisan legislative manner. The failures of the past to do this lies on both political parties. However, the process now in place, mass roundups and deportations, even to third countries far from where immigrants originated is, in my opinion, simply wrong.

We can and must do better as a country. Period.

My word to my friends in North Bergen- you are not alone. Many Americans, both Republican and Democrat, recognize the cruelty that you are experiencing. We are with you, we care about you, and we pray for you.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.                                                                                                                    Philippians 4:8

We are deep into the election season, and, of course, the political ads are terrible, and mostly not true or they are at least deceptive. Many of my clients mention a sense of despondence, sadness, and general unease with the current political situation. I too find myself more upset and irritable at times given the steady barrage of dismal news that we hear from most news outlets, regardless of political slant.

We often watch CBS network news at 6:30PM and the last segment is called The Good Stuff. They end the news with a brief human interest story that is encouraging and hopeful. I like that idea!

I have been encouraging my clients to find a zone of peace and serenity wherever they can find it. I have restricted my consumption of political news in the late evening, choosing to end my day without the rattles of political fallout. I read my current book, (a good history of early American settlers and their effect on our culture) and hope to get drowsy and fall asleep. It generally works well. I have suggested to those clients that they find books or shows which are heart-warming, humorous, and/or encouraging. They typically report better sleep and more positive attitudes.

So, my friends, we need to look for the places and resources that build us up. There is plenty of bad news out there, but there is also a wealth of good stories if we just take the time to look.

Prayer: Lord, help us to find the things that build us up, Amen

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose                                                                                       Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)

In thinking about the subtle nuances of communication, I was reminded of a bit from an old TV show. So, let’s get into the “Wayback Machine” and travel back to the 1950’s.

Some of you of a certain age will remember the Dobie Gillis Show. It was about a young man named Dobie Gillis, and it featured his friends, notably his best pal and hippie forerunner Maynard G. Krebs. Back then, they were called “Beatniks”, but I digress.

Dobie was always at odds with his father, often over money. Dobie had no money, and his father had little himself. One time, Dobie was explaining to Maynard (yes, it was Bob Denver, aka “Gilligan” from you know what show) the absurdity of an idea that Maynard had about Dobie borrowing money from his father. Dobie broke it down like this:

“Me borrow money from my father?” stated Dobie. “None of that makes any sense Maynard. Think about that sentence. Emphasize each word and you will see how impossible that is.”   

 ME borrow money from my father?  (Maybe someone else, not me); Me BORROW money from my father? (Maybe steal it, but he would never lend it to me); Me borrow MONEY from my dad? (maybe something else, but never money); Me borrow money from MY dad? (maybe I could borrow money from your dad, but not mine); Me borrow money from my DAD? (maybe mom, but never dad).

The meaning and nuance of the sentence changes with every emphasis on a different word. A fun lesson in how we determine meaning from even the emphasis on a syllable or word.

So, communication is dependent upon a lot of things, including where we put our emphasis. Words are important, and even the emphasis we place on that word. In this day of lots of words, and attributions of meaning of every nuance of the word, we need to be careful about our words. They give life, and they can diminish it. Let’s make sure our words are used to build up, not tear down.

Prayer: Lord, help us guard our words, their meaning, and their intent, Amen.

Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.   Philippians 2:9-11

Those are the words that came from the lips of early Christians- “Jesus is Lord!” Those are also the words that caused many of them to die a martyr’s death. Why?  Because in the Roman Empire, one was supposed to name Caesar as lord. It had become the practice that, as a matter of loyalty and submission, people in the Roman Empire would need to acknowledge that Caesar was lord. This began with Caesar Augustus and carried forward from that time. This concept carried through for centuries, in some form, even into the 18^th century when the issue of the “Divine Right of Kings” finally tumbled to the idea of democratic government by the people.

The Romans were a very practical people. They had conquered large tracts of Europe and Asia Minor, and later even into England up to Hadrian’s Wall which separated England from the warrior Scots and Picts to the north. They tolerated many different religions and pagan practices, and assimilated those people into the Empire- as long as they would also recognize that Caesar was lord. This was a way to enforce submission and loyalty to a powerful empire.

Those troublesome Christians, however, would only recognize Jesus as the Lord of all. They would not recognize Caesar as lord- that was reserved for Jesus alone.

We see from the start that Christianity and Empire did not do well together. Only after 312 A.D. when Emperor Constantine declared that the Empire would move forward as a Christian Empire did the persecution of Christians stop. Unfortunately, when Christianity and Empire are aligned in power, each boosting the other, both lose their power.

So, my friends, we see that empire cannot enforce Christianity upon its people, and Christianity must stand as a moral mirror to the actions of Empire. Both government and Christianity can exist together, and even thrive, when each knows its limits and its mission.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see your plans as to how we can thrive in the world, Amen

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.                                                                    Jeremiah 31:3

While cutting the grass yesterday – yes cutting the grass!- I listened to good old Pandora music. I heard so many great songs on the Petula Clark station that I curated. One of them was her classic “My Love”. When I was listening to the refrain lyrics, it occurred to me that this was a pretty good summary of how God loves us.  Here are the words:

My love is warmer than the warmest sunshine

Softer than a sigh

My love is deeper than the deepest ocean

Wider than the sky

My love is brighter than the brightest star

That shines every night above

And there is nothing in this world

That can ever change my love

So, those of you of a certain age will not only read these words, you will sing them, because you can’t help yourself. Insert the idea that this is God’s song to you.

It will make your day…

Prayer: Lord, your love for us is just like that! Amen