“We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.”                                                                                             Vince Lombardi

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls                                                                                  Hebrews 12:1-3

This is one of my favorite quotes from the Hall of Fame Green Bay Packer Coach. He was a great motivator, and this saying is at once an affirmation and a challenge. He essentially built up his guys by saying, “you guys are winners- no one can beat you!” He also was challenging them by implying that the only way that they could lose is if they quit trying (or time ran out).

I really like the idea that the only way we can fail is if we quit trying. Losing a game is not failure if you have put in your hardest work, and never quit trying. Failure is when you quit trying.

In the analogy of our lives, we need to keep moving, keep working, keep trying, even when we don’t feel like it. Jobs, relationships, parenting, maintaining health, etc. can be hard things that we need to work on. As long as we are striving, we are in that game of life. However, when we quit trying, when we give up hope or striving to succeed, failure will come eventually.

I tell my clients that movement is life. We were designed to be in motion. Working our disciplines, whatever they are, is critical to maintaining physical and mental health.

When we stop caring, we begin to fail.

But what about a person who is depressed? Good question- we talk about that tomorrow…

Prayer: Lord, continue to give us strength and hope for the future, Amen

Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.                                                              Psalm 23:4 (The Message)

I was speaking to a client the other day about breathing. Obviously, we take breathing for granted- we have to do it every few seconds in order to remain alive. However, breathing is both voluntary and involuntary. In other words, we can take control of our breathing (voluntary), but if we don’t think about it, we will breathe involuntarily. That is one of the remarkable things about how we are made. The incredible sympathetic and parasympathetic systems that are built into our brain.

In dealing with anxiety, I tell my clients that when we are stressed, we need to take more control- control being the antidote to anxiety. The more control we have, the less anxious we feel. The natural place to start taking control is our breathing. If we can take control of that, we are in control of our bodies. The message to our brain is- “I am in control of me”. Therefore, anxiety is not in control of me, but I can control the anxiety.

Anxiety, as I have stated before, is our “unwanted travelling partner”. So, I say, let’s make peace with that partner, but let the anxiety know who is in control. We are in the driver’s seat, and anxiety is in the passenger seat- whether or not we want that partner riding along!

Everyone struggles with anxiety at some point- some a little, some a lot, but we all deal with it to some degree. Since this is a common characteristic of humankind, I say we ask one another for help with it when we need it. Nobody needs to struggle alone with anxiety- it is a “team sport”.

So, we do what we can on our own, and we CAN do things to control anxiety, but when we need help, we ask for it.

That, my friends, is healing.

Prayer: Lord, you told us so often in the Bible to “fear not” Help us to remind ourselves of that promise, Amen

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.                                           Matthew 16:17

 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”                    Matthew 16:23

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 16, in the space of just a few verses, Jesus tells Peter that he will become the rock upon which his church will be built, followed by an admonition that Peter had more human concerns than godly thinking.

Pretty wild sequence, right? Peter goes from favored child to clueless follower in a short space of time. Now, I am not a Bible scholar, but I think those actions came pretty close together in time. Peter was human, and he could have great insights, as well as thoughtless moments in a very short sequence!

Yeah, he was just like us. We make these kinds of mistakes all the time, yet Jesus never throws us away. Jesus did not strip Peter of his place as a leader just because of a thoughtless sequence of events. Peter was impulsive and passionate. That passion was the very reason Jesus chose him.

Yet, our greatest strengths become our greatest weaknesses if we do not manage them well. Peter was just like us. We have strengths that we must manage in order to become the most effective selves that we were designed to be.

Prayer: Lord, help us to manage our strengths well, Amen

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you II Corinthians 13:11

Compromise. How does that word strike you? For some, it is a dirty word, signifying betrayal of values or beliefs. For others, the word is benign, even perhaps enviable. It may mean willingness the see the value of another opinion, or at least to give in a bit toward an acceptable middle ground.

In the world of politics, it used to be the system of haggling with the other party to salvage some of what one wanted by giving away something. Each party ended up with something that they themselves could accept. That was how deals were made. At stake was the welfare of the most amount of people. Not everyone was satisfied, but each party got some of what they wanted.

In the religious world, the word compromise is often loaded with very negative connotations. In that world, one could not sacrifice principles or convictions, just to get along. True enough in a personal moral/religious situation, but politics is not the same. Yet the two worlds- politics and religion- have become so intertwined, that compromise now is a dirty word in both worlds.

No one likes to give ground to the other political party, yet without compromise in making laws, we become mired in a dreadful and deadly stalemate. Each political party demonizes the other and claims the higher moral ground. Each party is bent upon the destruction of the other. I hope that most people do not think that such a concept is helpful.

Perhaps this is the price we pay for marrying religious belief and party affiliation. I think everyone loses in that scenario.   

Prayer; Lord, help us to see the higher goals of making life on earth better for our fellow travelers, Amen

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,  desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:19-23

In Jesus’ parable, the rich man ends up in hell, not because he failed to believe the right things, but because he failed to love Lazarus.

 From Brian Zahnd in “Water to Wine”

I have been reading a book by Pastor Brain Zahnd titled Water to Wine. The book is a beautiful look at the Gospel through the eyes of a pastor who has had a reckoning with God over the past twenty years. Because of Zahnd’s journey, he has taken a turn back to the ancient history of Christianity in order to sort out the cultural adaptations that we have made to the Gospel which has often robbed it of its simplicity and purity.

Zahnd has an artistic, even poetic look at Jesus and his ministry, and he looks to the mystery that we have lost by trying to be formulaic in our doctrine. Sometimes we don’t see things because we are too close. We have been influenced so much by cultural Christianity that we miss the beauty and wonder of simple truths. By taking mystery out of our faith, we substitute the idea of certainty as our guiding star. Mystery says that there are things we do not understand, and we simply trust Jesus with it.

What a profound yet simple concept.

Prayer: Lord, we trust you, especially when we do not understand, Amen

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.                         John 15:13

The season of Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday. This is meant to be a time of somber reflection in anticipation of the celebration of Easter. There could be no Easter without a Good Friday. That, of course is the day that Jesus was crucified for the salvation of his beloved creation.

There is no greater love than what Jesus displayed by coming into this world, and showing us the way we should live- and ultimately die.

This 40 (plus) day countdown to Easter can be a time of rededication to our faith. Often, Christians will deprive themselves of some physical pleasure like chocolate, or meat, or any other thing that may remind us of our need to be disciplined in order to truly live out the faith that we claim.

Whatever you choose to do, or not do, remember that the whole point is to recognize that Jesus is our standard for love in a world that desperately needs it.

Prayer: Lord, help us to become more aware of how to love like Jesus loved, Amen

 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.  And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.     

Luke 13:29-30

After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.   

Revelation 7:9 (Good News Translation)

Years ago our family had a mutt- sorry, “mixed breed” – little dog we named Maggie. Maggie had come from an abusive home, rescued by a visiting nurse at our mental health center who had a big heart for dogs. She could not abide seeing a dog mistreated, so she took the dog with her from that abusive home, and brought her to our center. I wasn’t sure what to do with the dog, so naturally, I brought her home to my surprised wife and kids.

So, 17 years later, I had to have Maggie put to sleep because she had been suffering from various maladies of old age. She was a delightful dog. She was as fast as the wind and built like a whippet, but also possessing many other genes from various doggie types, I’m sure. Yes, she lived to be 17 years old. Mutts- sorry, “mixed breeds” will do that. Your purebreds? Not so much. Due to inbreeding, they often succumb to various diseases or genetic conditions before the “mixed breeds” do.

So, the point of this story? I find it ironic that we seem to value “pure breeding” so much. Indeed, royal families, often struggled with inherited diseases like porphyria because there was not enough genetic variety in the bloodline. Eugenics, popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, favored the idea of “breeding” ideal human specimens, weeding out “genetically inferior populations”. Indeed, Adolf Hitler was not by any means the only proponent of eugenics, just perhaps the most diabolical.

Jesus came from a line of “mixed breeds” in the genealogy provided in the gospel of Matthew. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba are four women named in this line from which Jesus sprang. Tamar, was in the Hebrew line, but become pregnant by posing as a temple prostitute; Rahab was a prostitute/innkeeper from Jericho who aided the Israelites in their conquest of her city; Ruth was from Moab, home of a tribe of historically vicious rivals to the Israelites; and Bathsheba was a woman married to a Hittite man, taken by king David out of his sheer lust for her.

These were women from other countries, with provocative tribal and sexual backgrounds, all woven into the earthly line from which came Jesus. Safe to say that Jesus came from a “mixed background”.

Variety in genetic lines gives strength and resistance to us. Our very differences in background make us stronger. Jesus came from a diverse background to demonstrate that he is redeemer of all mankind, not just one tribe.  Now if we can just get the value of this diversity idea into our heads…

Prayer: Father, thank you for the plan of diversity that teaches us to value one anothers differences as strength to the whole of us, Amen.

“But let justice roll out like waters, And righteousness like an ever-flowing      stream.                                    

   Amos 5:24 (NASB)

We are all familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King’s work in the civil rights arena for trying to end segregation, and to improve voting rights for African-Americans. He helped to shine a light on the violent threats that Blacks faced in the Deep South, and indeed, he survived those threats himself until his assassination in 1968.  

Less remembered is his strong witness against the war in Vietnam, and his work on the Poor People’s March, which was a diverse effort to point out the effects of poverty in America. While Dr. King met with and influenced President Lyndon Johnson, he did not hesitate to confront the President when he believed that Johnson must do more from his position of power. King was the model of speaking truth to power. Dr. King believed that he must live out his witness to Jesus Christ even though it meant unpopularity, and even more threats against him. Power was not his goal- justice was his goal.

Prophets have a responsibility to be a witness for justice. The goal of Christians should not be pursuit of power, but rather pursuit of justice. Dr. King embodied that goal, and that is why we celebrate his legacy this weekend.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to always work for justice, not power, Amen

Liturgy: def.-

a rite or body of rites prescribed for public worship

One of the definitions of the word liturgy is the one above. It is a body of rites or rituals used for public worship. When I was young, I grew up in the Catholic Church where rituals abounded. As a youth, I did not, probably could not, appreciate the value of these rites.

We would recite Litanies of the Saints after Mass at times, and I dreaded the long list of saints read aloud by the priest. After each name, we would respond with the words “Pray for Us”. However, as we droned along in my 9-or10-year-old mind, all I heard for several minutes was the monotone response “prayfrus”.

Rituals abounded in the Catholic faith. For example, February 2 was not so much the big deal of “Ground Hog Day” for us Catholic kids, because the next day, February 3, was “St. Blaise Day”- the day when we got our throats blessed by crossed candles by the priest. There were the Stations of the Cross during Lent, the covering of the statues in church with purple drapes during Lent, which were dramatically dropped during Midnight Mass as Easter Sunday dawned. Of course, there was a three-hour vigil in church from noon to 3 PM on Good Friday, and indeed, in much of Catholic Cincinnati, everything closed during those sacred hours.

If you lived in Cincinnati, you could “make the steps” in Mt. Adams and pray on each step on Good Friday as an act of penitence and devotion in memory of the solemnity of Good Friday.  

I cite these rituals because they are enduring memories of a faith lived out communally with Catholic brothers and sisters. They were special milestones of a shared culture of faith. Those rituals were beautiful examples of a shared faith.

I miss those times.

I bring this up because I see that young people on their faith journey are longing for such communal connections. Shared experiences- liturgies- are lacking from so much of contemporary worship. I suggest that a return to more shared experiences, such as Ash Wednesday, which looms tomorrow, are important experiences of faith. Perhaps we should join as Christians in more of these shared experiences to draw closer to one another, and lift up Jesus in those traditional ways.

Prayer: Lord, draw us closer to you and one another with shared experiences, Amen

I just want to celebrate another day of livin’

I just want to celebrate another day of life

I put my faith in the people

But the people let me down

So I turned the other way

And I carry on, anyhow

That’s why I’m telling you

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah

Another day of living,

I just want to celebrate another day of life

Lyrics to the song by Rare Earth, “I Just Want to Celebrate”

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.                                       Psalm 118:24

Those of us of a certain age remember this 1971 song by the group Rare Earth. Actually, the song is popular enough that many people, regardless of age, know it. I use that title today because people need reminders to celebrate “another day of livin’’. Indeed, every day we draw breath should be a celebration.

Yes, I am painfully aware that many people may find little to celebrate. They may be grieving, in pain, anxious, depressed- the things that life may bring us. Yet, we need to find ways to celebrate the present.

Many of my readers may recall that a few years ago, I announced that March 1 is officially a holiday (in my way of thinking). It is my “first day of Spring”. Again, I know that it technically is not the first day of Spring, but I am claiming it nonetheless. I mean, Spring is actually within sight, literally. The daffodils and crocus are near poking their heads above the ground. Even the day lilies are pushing up from under last year’s dead leaves.

Baseball has started (Spring Training), and NCAA ‘s March Madness will be on us soon. And when somebody asks you what day it is, you can say, “It’s March!”

Yes, I do make “much ado” as Shakespeare might say, but the point is this. Whatever reason you need to celebrate, use it. Celebrate this day and you will find that your outlook is just a wee bit brighter. See, even saying “wee bit” makes me think of St. Patrick’s Day!

So, find your reason (or no reason) to celebrate “Another Day of Livin!”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for another day of livin! Amen