May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.                               Matthew 6:10

One of the things that is discouraging to me in the American culture now is that many Christians are seeking political solutions to spiritual problems. We know that no political party or political platforms will ever solve problems of the soul.

So, as politicians set forth their plans to solve national problems, we recognize that their aim is essentially to get re-elected, or simply elected for the first time. I don’t mean to be such a cynic my friends, but that is how politics work.

That is why I am concerned that so many people who call themselves Christians are acting in political ways, but not in the ways of Jesus. None of us is perfect, and we all fail in following the example of Jesus. But let us be clear that politics and religion are not good traveling partners. One seeks power, the other seeks peace and justice for the oppressed and marginalized of society.

So, in this political year in the United States, let’s always ask the question, “How can we apply solutions that seek peace and empowerment for others rather than power for us?” For Christians, our primary identity is not Democrat or Republican, or even American. We cannot view our religion through the lens of politics.

So, my friends, be well, and fear not. No matter the results of this American election, God still reigns in the world that he created. We must simply strive for the invocation that Jesus gave, “Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven”

Prayer: Help us to bring your heavenly justice to people on earth, Amen

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
    In wisdom you have made them all.     
    The earth is full of your creatures                                                                         Psalm 104:24

I recently watched a PBS show on NOVA about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and how it was made. It was nearly 30 years in the making and planning of it, and the cost- well, let’s not talk about how much it cost.

Suffice it to say that the project was massive, a technological marvel, a monument to both the engineers and scientists that made this astronomical breakthrough. I am not able to explain the scope of the project, obviously, but it made me think of two things- the majesty of God’s creation, and the amazing gift of intelligence and curiosity that God made in mankind.

Those people pushed the envelope of technology, such as needing to plan for temperatures that could ruin the delicate machine, and how to protect its exquisite structure for the mission. The result was the ability to see into the past. Light from distant galaxies takes millions of light years to reach the earth. As the universe expands, galaxies are moving away from one another. The vastness of our universe defies explanation. It is too marvelous for words or comprehension.   

The Master Creator who made the heavens and earth also made the people who are trying to understand it. Both are marvels of God’s creation. My response?

Wow.

Prayer: Lord, your creation is too marvelous for mere words, Amen

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.                     Romans 15:13

I had a dear friend named Denny Mikel who passed away several years ago. Denny was a mentor to me, and I remember one day when he told me a story about what he felt he had heard God clearly say to him. It was nothing earth shattering or strange. No momentous challenge or “special revelation”. It was just this- Trust Me.

That was his guiding light to a simple faith. Trust Me. I often think about that as I wonder about things that I do not understand. Believe me, there are a lot of things I do not understand about how God works, or the faith journey we are called into.

I think maybe that simple phrase, Trust Me, pretty much sums up a faith journey that we are never going to puzzle out on our own. God delights in our trust, not our ability to figure everything out. Yes, God has given us amazing mental capacity, the ability of performing abstract thought, and this amazing thing called sentience which allows us to be truly aware of our own presence and existence. Yet, the thing that pleases God, and gives us rest and peace is just that simple phrase…

Trust Me

Prayer: Lord, I trust you, Amen

 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God                                                      Matthew 5:23-24 (New Living Translation)

What does it say about the teaching of Jesus that he is instructing his hearers to reconcile relationships with others before offering sacrifice to God? I am always struck by this instruction of Jesus. As we know, Temple sacrifice was a big deal to the Jewish community. It was a sacred rite whereby they recognized the Lordship of Yahweh over all of their life and possessions. Only the best of the flock was to be sacrificed. Indeed, killing a prized animal in an agricultural world was indeed a large sacrifice.

Yet Jesus told them, essentially, “Look, your sacrifice of an animal to God is of secondary importance to Him than your relationships with one another.” I wonder how that landed with the Priests and Levites? What did devout Jews do with that piece of information?

Well, what do WE do with that information? It tells me that God wants peace and restoration of his beloved creation before we offer up possessions to him. Truly, all that we own is his anyway, but he is telling us to value the creation of our fellow human beings, and our relationship with them, before we try to relate to him with our religious rituals.    

What say you?

Prayer: Lord, you have given us clear priorities about how we should love others. Help us to carry that out, Amen

But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.                                                                            Psalm 9:18

It only takes a few minutes in starting to read the Sermon on the Mount for one to see that Jesus came to give a message to those who were hurting. He assumed that the people who were drawn to him were drawn because they could see that he gave a message of hope. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn”, etc. These were hurting people. They needed his attention, and they needed to hear about hope.

The fact that Jesus was so particular, and so direct, in giving a message of hope to those hurting people should be the message that his followers hear. Those are the marching orders for his followers.

So, the gospel message is one of hope, not fear, not destruction, not division, but hope. Let’s follow the Master’s lead in spreading that message.

Prayer: Lord, help us to have clarity about your simple message, Amen

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”                                                            John 13:35

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, Christian witness to the world has been demonstrated through benevolent acts of grace to the community. The early Christians were known to take in babies abandoned by Roman families- unwanted babies who had been left out to die. Infanticide was then often considered as a form of birth control.   

Move on to the early and Middle Ages Church which established schools, orphanages, hospitals and schools for the benefit of the community. Today we see the legacy of those movements in so many schools, hospitals, healthcare organizations and non-profit corporations founded by Christian entities for the benefit of the community in which it exists.

The Christian movement has been marked by love of the community in which it resides, and even in places where it does not reside. Love of people, extension of grace and benevolence to friend and stranger are hallmarks of the faith.  

Today, the perception of some of the population is that the Church is known by what it disapproves of rather than for providing love and care for others. How sad that the message that Jesus lived and died for is so misunderstood by so many.

The Church needs to continue to be creative in how it shows love for a broken world- by providing solutions, rather than condemnation. Child care, job training, education, health and mental health care are just a few areas where the Church can impact the world in positive ways.

I am confident that the message still resonates – God so loved the world…

Prayer: Lord, you reminded us that Christians shall be known by their love, Amen

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.                                                                                                                                          Philippians 4:8-9

I recently spoke with a client about connection with her husband, and the fact that she feels right now like she is “on an island”. She feels isolated and alone. I discussed the idea that we are three-part beings, and that we need to be connected, as much as possible, on all three levels- spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

I asked her to think about connection with her husband as bridges from her island to the mainland. Those bridges are the emotional bridge, spiritual bridge, and the physical bridge.  Ideally, all three bridges remain open and unblocked, but sometimes, there are blockages. In that case, we need to look at what bridges might be open.

We decided that the spiritual bridge might be the most open at this time, so we discussed ways to work together to make that a way to spiritually connect at this time. We came up with a plan, and she will be discussing this with her husband.

The thinking here is that there is a solution to every problem if we just are willing to look at the positives that may lie before us. Just because one way is blocked does not mean that we cannot find a way to connect.

Assuming solutions is important. Assuming failure is failure.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see that there is a solution if we are willing to look for it, Amen

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.                                        Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

I recently saw a client who is going through the period of her life where she is in the “letting go” stage. That is the period of life when we are launching our late teen/ early adult age children, and at the same time letting go of aging parents. This is a hard period of life. Loss seems to be all around, and we need to find ways to reinvent our lives for a new stage.

I talked with the client about recognizing that this is a time when we are more acutely aware of the sense of loss of control. Our children are going off and making career and relational decisions that are exciting for them but maybe a bit scary to us as parents. Losing aging parents to declining health, or death, brings us to a more acute awareness of our own mortality. We are the next generation that is going to pass away. How do I redeem that remaining time so it is meaningful and impactful?

I suggested that our mindset is critical to this period in our life. If we can see that we are “letting go” vs. having things “taken away”, we will feel much more control of our emotions and our ability to accept change.

For my readers who are experiencing this stage, know that God is in control and we are not. Accepting that we are in a position that feels so precarious and unpredictable is hard, but it is for our ultimate good. It is growth which produces wisdom, and finally peace that passes all understanding.

Prayer: Lord, you are in control of our life, and of those that we love. We trust your care, Amen

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “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

Here we are in early January-S.A.D time. S.A.D. of course stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder, a recognized form of depression that is triggered, or exacerbated, by the decreased amount of light we have this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The symptoms are often subtle, but nonetheless they can be frustrating, and often are superimposed on an already existing depression, making the mood that much worse for the sufferer. Lethargy, increased appetite, (especially for carbohydrates), an increased sense of loss, loss of optimism, irritability, sleep disorders, isolation- the list can go on- are all possible symptoms.  

Most living things tend to move toward light as a source of energy. Of course you have noticed those houseplants that stretch themselves to the sun (phototropism) to get ever ray of sun that they can. Even those nocturnal critters around us need light to produce the energy for their food. However, when one is depressed, it is hard to muster energy to do the things we need to do for health.

From a behavioral /mental health standpoint, I insist that good behavior beats negative thinking. What do I mean by that? We sometimes need to force ourselves to do the things that are good for us. When one is depressed, that is very hard! Yet getting outside and experiencing even low levels of light, especially when exercising, is almost guaranteed to be of benefit.

As I was thinking of this blog, I was struck by the spiritual implications of seeking light. Jesus called himself the light of the world. I see this as both a spiritual and even a physical fact. He was the Creator of light, and he is the sustainer of life. Without light, there is no life.

Seeking the light of truth in Jesus, and seeking the healing light of the sun are almost two sides of the same coin in my reckoning. So, as you seek out the light of the sun (dim as it might be this time of year), remember the maker of the light, and your mood will become lighter as well.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the light in every way possible, Amen

“When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.                                                                    Matthew 12:43-45 (The Message)

I was talking with a client the other day about her teenage daughter who admitted that she has an addiction to electronics- specifically her phone. First of all, I believe that such addictions are really a thing. Devotion to electronic media is insidious and it is clearly addictive. There is a built-in reward in the brain when the proper stimulation is provided. Media devices can provide the perfect stimulation to start an addictive process. Easy access, immediate gratification, and the initial sense of it being a benign influence all set up addiction potential easily.

Typical of all addictions, there needs to be initial abstinence before recovery can take place. Abstinence itself is not sufficient to sustain recovery, but it is necessary for the recovery to begin. Also true with recovery, it is not a journey to undertake alone. The addicted individual needs the humility to ask for help. In this case, she has caring parents who are willing to help her in the journey of recovery.

Finally, I suggested to the parents that simple abstinence will not help, because if there is nothing substituted for the addictive behavior, relapse is much more likely. I suggested that she become involved in healthy groups, sports, a part-time job or volunteer work. All such activities involve the input and cooperation with others, breaking the isolation and self-interest that electronic media feeds. I reminded them of the parable that Jesus spoke as a remedy for demonic oppression. I take that parable (cited above) to be a powerful metaphor for healing- a good principle of mental health.

Simply voiding our mind of damaging thoughts is not sufficient. We need to “fill the void” with behaviors that are positive and productive. If we do not do that, we are apt to drift back to those same damaging behaviors that gave temporary relief or pleasure.  

That is why the 12^th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is so powerful. If a person in recovery directs themselves to the care and healing of others, they ensure their own sobriety.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the recovery plans that Jesus set forth for us, Amen.