Now I want to ask a favor of you. I could demand it of you in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, but I love you and prefer just to ask you—I, Paul, an old man now, here in jail for the sake of Jesus Christ. My plea is that you show kindness to my child Onesimus, whom I won to the Lord while here in my chains. Onesimus (whose name means “Useful”) hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is going to be of real use to both of us. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.                                                                                                                          Philemon 1:8-12

We have all had the experience of asking people to be references for us when we apply for a new job. As an employer, I had to call these references to inquire about the prospective employee. Often, if I knew the person who was the reference, I would not even need to make the call. If the prospective employee was vouched for by an individual whom I knew, and that person was a person of integrity, that would be good enough. That prospective employee already had a foot in the door because I was leaning on the credibility of their reference.

There are two instances in the Bible where I saw that process at work. One was in the book of Acts, when Paul (formerly Saul, the Christian killer) had been vouched for by Ananias. Ananias had been given a vision by God that he was to heal Paul from temporary blindness, and then introduce him to the community whom he had been persecuting. Because people trusted Ananias, they trusted Paul. That was a leap of faith!

Then years later, Paul returned the favor by taking in Onesimus, a runaway slave, and then asking Philemon, for whom Onesimus was a slave, to take Onesimus back- not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul was deft and convincing in his arguments to Philemon, and Onesimus went on to become a leader in the young Christian Church years later.

We give our credibility to causes and people that we care about. As people trust us, they trust our friends and our causes. So, it is a high calling to be a follower of Jesus. As our reputation goes with people, so goes the reputation of Jesus to people who may know of him only through our behavior.

Prayer: Thank you Father for the plan of letting us be the ambassadors for you on earth, Amen

Therefore, put away all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow, if it is true that you have experienced that the Lord is good                                                                                                                                                                                           I Peter 2:1-3

In thinking about the Bible as a source of truth and wisdom, I have stated in past blogs that the Bible was never intended to be an explanation of the universe or a science book. It deals with human nature, relationships, moral codes, the virtue of laws, and it serves as a regulator of socially responsible behavior. It deals with all the things common to people, including our selfish nature, and the transformative power of a relationship with a loving God – about sin and redemption, and about hope.

I think of the Bible as like an owner’s manual. When we get a car, we also get an owner’s manual. Yes, I know, nobody reads the owner’s manual, but it is a pretty good idea to do it, because it really helps in determining how to extend the life of the car with proper maintenance, practical tips on how to do some simple fixes, and explaining what the proper measures are for tire pressure, the type and amount of oil to use, grade of gasoline, etc. It does not explain how the car was made, and indeed, I do not need to know how it was made. I just need to know that it was made, and that I am driving it, and how to maximize its life.

So it is with the Bible. It gives us very practical advice about relationships, how to treat other people, how to stay healthy in all ways, and how to find and maintain the most important relationship we will ever have- the one with our Creator.

The Bible gives us wisdom- if we read it. Remember the owner’s manual thing?

Yeah, like that.  

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your words to us- the words of life and health, Amen.

Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory.  He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together. 

Colossians 1:15-17 (Living Bible)

I have been fascinated by this passage for many years now. I think that this is not merely metaphorical language to describe Jesus as the Son of God and creator of the universe. I truly think that the Physics of this passage is amazing.

What do I mean by that? Well, my regular readers know of my fascination with science and Physics in particular. This despite the fact that I am only an admirer of such subjects, and not a scientist. I think that allows me to speculate on things without having to come up with a scientific basis. I just have the curiosity and joy of expounding my own ideas. How fun! So, here goes, given that caveat…

This passage states that everything is held together by Jesus. He is the First Cause of creation, and he is also the power that holds life together. Take the equation E = mc²                                                                     

We are familiar with this equation of Albert Einstein because it explains the amazing notion that energy and matter are interchangeable. Matter can be turned into energy, and energy can be turned into matter. We understand that fission and fusion, which are ways of changing the matter and structure of atomic particles, release tremendous amounts of energy when that change takes place. Similarly, in order for energy to be turned into matter, it takes an enormous input of energy to do that.

But what if Jesus, the Light of the World, indeed the author of light (energy) caused the making of all matter by that incredible Big Bang of creation? That energy still exists today because there is no new energy being produced or destroyed. That is the Law of the Conservation of Energy. The same energy that Jesus used in creation is now preserving that creation today. The very atoms of the universe are his energy in play still at this time.

So, Jesus rules the universe he created, and he maintains it literally in his presence in everything.

Yes, I can hear you now saying that this sounds like some weird heresy. It is a little different slant on how the universe is maintained, and it is just my ideation gone wild.

But I think it is fun, and I wanted to share my understanding of this amazing passage. Hope it gets you thinking! Thanks for indulging me!

Prayer: Lord, you are Creator and maintainer of this marvelous universe. You are the Lord of Creation! Amen

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!                                                                                                                                                                      II Corinthians 5:17

Yesterday I talked about the role of guilt and remorse as we become more aware of how we are affected by our actions which may have perhaps hurt others, or even ourselves. Guilt is the response of conscience, but it can also be a response of anxiety. Often, anxiety will exaggerate the consequences of actions we have done into an unrealistic burden on us. Revisiting past actions that are long resolved can make us feel the emotion of guilt, when in reality, the feeling is cause by anxiety- not a responsive conscience.

Shame, on the other hand, is the residual of chronic guilt. It is guilt, perhaps unexplored by a mind that is convinced that we are not worthy of the love of others, or even ourselves.

Shame makes us direct our focus inward, and view our entire self in a negative light. Feelings of guilt, in contrast, result from a concrete action for which we accept responsibility. Guilt causes us to focus our attention on the feelings of others. (Quote from Scientific American article 8/9/2019) We see that shame becomes a self-defining aspect which causes harm.

Jesus was a master at recognizing the negative effects of shame, and giving new definition to us that does not give shame a foothold. His responses to Matthew and Zacchaeus, to a Roman centurion, Saul of Tarsus, Peter, and so many others was essentially this- “I know who you are. You are not what you did, you are who you are becoming”  

Shame reminds us of a person that is broken. It does not allow for healing and forward movement. Recovery and grace look for the future. They do not deny the past. The past has its place. However, the past sins of our lives do not define us as we take the road to healing that Jesus freely offers.

Jesus offers a new creation- one that takes shame out of the equation.

Prayer: Lord, we know that you would have us live in the dignity of grace rather than the bondage of shame, Amen

In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps                                               Proverbs 16:19

I’m not sure what made me think of this today. Maybe it is the fact that I am just drifting in thought back to the “old days”. It brings me back perhaps 60 + years ago to a much simpler time. Cue the harp player and the wavy lines that indicate a dreamy flashback- yes, that is an old school reference as well 😊…

I was sitting under a tree across the street from my house on Mayfair Ave. in Cincinnati. Our gang of friends was gathered, because that morning had been the last day of school. It was an early June morning, and we had just come home from St. Martin School. We were very excited to be out of school, and this was the official beginning of summer vacation in the neighborhood. We had the whole summer to ourselves, free to do whatever we wanted! That oppressive school year had just ended, and the nuns no longer controlled us until the day after Labor Day some 3 months hence. What a joy!

We pondered what to do. Should we play war? Always a good option for the guys. Should we plan another neighborhood show to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy? We had done that last summer to dismal financial success, but we sure had a grand time putting on a show with our chemistry sets for the neighbors. Should we ride bikes? Maybe strap on the roller skates?

After just a little deliberation, we all decided on what would be really fun. We would play school! Yes, just hours after leaving the “jailhouse” of school, we would play school! Why did we think that this would be a good idea? Because WE were in charge of the school. We made up the rules. We decided how things would be in our little schoolhouse.

I think there is a lesson here (OK, pardon the pun). When we are in charge of things, we are fine with it. However, if we need to submit to the authority of others, the venture loses something. We are not in control anymore.

Human nature at work. I am much more apt to do something if it is my idea, and under my control, rather than something that might be imposed upon me. Just an interesting observation about us. Funny how we like things our way right?

Prayer: Lord, you give us free will, and I think you have joy in giving that to us. Help us to use it wisely, Amen

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2

As my regular readers know, I am fascinated by science, and its beautiful interplay with faith. I was recently watching a show on Nova (a PBS science show) about the Milky Way, our home galaxy. The Milky Way is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe. We also understand that the universe is continuing to expand. Can you imagine that? I doubt it. Neither can I. I know it boggles my mind to even consider things like eternity and infinity.

As a limited, finite person, I cannot have any real grasp of infinity or eternity. Yet our God, the Creator of it all, has planned and executed the most marvelous things we can (or cannot) imagine.

People may get a bit hung up on the Genesis version of creation, but I think there is no need to. Ancient writers simply wrote a basic truth- God was the Creator. There was no need to explain how God did it, just that he did.

Interestingly enough, the words used by these unscientific writers may have been concepts far beyond anyone’s expectation. When they wrote that the earth was without form and void, and that there was darkness on the face of the deep, they were using language to describe “nothingness”. Yet we now know that there are things called “dark matter” and “dark energy” that might have been the description of the state that they were trying to explain.

All of that to say, we still do not have a good concept of dark matter and dark energy. Yet we do know that a Creator planned and put forth a marvelous creation that he breathed life into. We don’t really need to know how God did it, and maybe we will never know.

All we need to know is that God created the heavens and the earth, and he did it because he loves his creation and all in it.  

Prayer: Lord, when I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 What is man that You are mindful of him, (from Psalm 8)

…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

I Peter 5:7

So, do you worry? Especially about those we love? Of course you do. Some worry a little, some worry a lot, all worry some. That is why, I think, that so many promises are made in the Bible about how God provides for us, and that ultimately, he will take care of us.

Agreed, God is good and he will ultimately take care of us. God takes care of the sparrows, why would he not take care of us? Yet, we worry. Why? Well, lots of reasons. We worry because we care about others. We do not have control of those situations, but we worry, somehow in the back of our mind telling ourselves that our thoughts and prayers and concerns can give us some way to look at things differently. Maybe if we do this thing, or say that thing, we can make it better for those whom we care about.  

Well, bless our hearts, we usually cannot do much to change the minds and hearts of other people. The Holy Spirit can do the things we cannot do. So yes, we can and should pray about situations, but we must understand that there are things we can control, and things that we cannot control. The hard part is recognizing that difference, and allowing the Holy Spirit to do the things we simply cannot. In such case, we can have more peace about our situation.

My conclusion? Don’t beat yourself up because you worry. You worry because you care. Give yourself the assurance that your worry is stronger the more you care. Remind yourself- your worry will not change anything. Give yourself the grace of knowing that your care indicates your heart concerns for others.

 Let God do the caring for you also.

Prayer: Lord, bless all who carry a burden for others, Amen

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, …                Ecclesiastes 3

I was listening to a podcast this morning on my walk, and I got thinking about how we spend our time. “Spend” is an interesting verb when we think about time, because time is a resource- a precious one- and how we spend it, or perhaps waste it, is an extremely important consideration.

I then began to think about how we actually do keep track of how we spend time. My belief is that if we actually logged each day how we spent our time, we might be a bit embarrassed, maybe guilty. Who knows, we may even feel really good about it. I hope so.

You see, this whole consideration was based upon listening to a discussion about social media and its role in our life. How much time do we truly spend on social media? If we had to keep track of it, would it actually change the amount of time we spend on social media?

My guess is that if we had to actually write down the amount of time we spend on our activities of each day, it would change our behavior. It is one of those instances when, if we are actually mindful of something, it literally changes the way we behave. Do we really want to accept that we spend that much time looking at Twitter or Tik Tok, or whatever? Do we really want to become aware that we spent so little time in meaningful interaction with those we love?

These are just a few examples, but I think you get the idea. If we really become aware that we are giving much of our limited precious time to activities that do not give richer meaning to our life, don’t you think that might produce a behavior change?

Prayer: Lord, help us to be mindful of the amount of time we spend with others, and with you, Amen     

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.                                                                                    Philippians 2:1-4

Monday was Martin Luther King Day, and my wife and I spent the day honoring his memory in various ways. The obvious one was our participation in a service at a community event held at a primarily African-American church. The event was properly honoring and uplifting. The theme was about trying to bring about the dream of Dr. King – the creation of a “Beloved Community”. We acknowledged that we as a society have not often been very successful in doing that, but it remains an aspirational goal nonetheless.   

The other way that we inadvertently honored Dr. King was one that caught me by surprise- one that we had not expected. In the afternoon, we decided to go to a movie. We seldom attend movies at the Cinema, but I had wanted to see A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks. I really like his work and I have seen most of his movies.

If you have not seen the movie and do not want it spoiled, stop reading here- I won’t be offended.

However, if you have seen the movie, you know that the theme of the movie is all about a beloved community rallying around a difficult man whose life was torn by grief and anger. It was a wonderful movie. Yes, it was hard to see much of it through the tears, but it was worth the effort!

Making a “Beloved Community” is within our reach in our own little spaces. We do not expect that our entire nation or world will be transformed into a loving community- we are too broken for that. However, within our own spaces, we can create little “Beloved Communities”. Neighborhoods, small groups, churches, support groups, book clubs, indeed any contained group in which we participate can become such a community.

If we are intentional about transforming small spaces, maybe such spaces can get larger. Being on the path to a “Beloved Community” is the point. The goal may not be reached this side of heaven, but it is our job to try.

Prayer: Lord, give us a vision for communities who can love one another, Amen

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’                                                           John 14:9 (NIV)

I have always found that people tend to have strong reactions to the name of Jesus. Some take his name in vain. Others revere and worship him. It seems that almost everyone who takes the time to study Jesus comes away with a definite opinion of him. He is, perhaps, the leading character of history, the most influential person who ever lived, and certainly the one who can and does change lives.  

In the novels that I have written- Joseph Shepherd (A Story of Travelers) and Joseph Shepherd (The Adventure Continues), my main character is a man who resembles Jesus. As such, he becomes a “lightning rod” for dissent. His treatment of other people, especially those people on the margins, is often misinterpreted. People tend to have strong reactions to him, both positive and negative.

The entire Bible was written with the arrival and mission of Jesus on earth as the ultimate topic. So, we have the opportunity to make our decisions about Jesus. I trust that my readers are getting to know him and his mission a little better. There is no better example of how to love other people, and how to pattern a life pleasing to God.

When one has seen Jesus, he/she has seen the Father. That is the point.

Prayer: Lord you have graciously given your son as a guide and Savior for us! Amen