For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.                                                                                                                             Ephesians 6:12

It is once again Thanksgiving time in the United States. Most countries have some version of this particular holiday, and rightly so. We have so much to be thankful for!

Yet there are those around the world who will be faced with suffering, war, persecution, and starvation. I think of people in Ukraine, suffering from a war imposed upon them by Vladimir Putin. It seems that his specialty is attacking schools, hospitals and other civilian targets with long-range rockets. So, the verse in Ephesians which talks about struggling against evil is demonstrated here.

Paul, in this verse above, was discussing evil which is brought into the world through wicked rulers and authorities, acting perhaps in the thrall of the “evil one” himself. As representatives of Jesus in our role to bring peace, health, and unity to a broken world, we must identify evil and stand up against it. This concept is described well in the book by N.T. Wright titled The Vision of Ephesians: The Task of the Church and the Glory of God.

So, my friends, we are called to identify evil, resist it, and continue in prayer for vigilance and strength. Jesus has won the battle against evil through his presence on Earth and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But we too are called upon to be witness to the ongoing resistance of that evil as it hurts and affects our fellow travelers.  

Prayer: …and deliver us from evil, Amen

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens                    Ecclesiastes 3:1

Just a quick observation today. I was recently watching a commercial that featured Kareem Abdul Jabar (whom I originally knew as Lew Alcindor), and he looked old. That is because Kareem Abdul Jabar is old. He is advertising a product that fits my demographic.  Yes, apparently, I am old too.

It does not seem like that long ago that Lew Alcindor broke onto the national scene at UCLA under coach John Wooden, and his freshman team beat the defending national champion upperclassmen Bruins. In those days, freshmen were not eligible to play varsity. Had Alcindor been allowed to play, UCLA would have won the national championship his freshman year.

Alcindor literally changed the game of college basketball. Because of his dominance, dunking the basketball was disallowed for several years- just to level the playing field due to his talent. Later, Alcindor led UCLA to national titles, and later, as Kareem Abdul Jabar, he had earned several NBA championships.

But now, he is an old man, like me. The memories are great, but reality remains. Another generation takes over. I don’t really, in some ways, see myself as old, but when I am in meetings and some other social gatherings, I am the oldest guy in the room.

Funny how we see ourselves just a bit differently than reality, right?

Prayer: Lord, you have been so good to allow us to see seasons of change over our lifetime, Amen

 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”     Luke 11:12-14 (The Message)

This painting was displayed on Sunday at our church as the pastor was talking about who is invited to the table. This was such an appropriate message as Thanksgiving week is begun. Many of us will be sitting around a table filled with great food. We may be fortunate enough to be surrounded as well by family and friends that we cherish. This picture is a reminder that Jesus has called everyone to the table.

The Gospel was proclaimed to all, and it is the job of Christians to ensure that no one is left out. The poor, the immigrant, the outcast- ALL have been invited to the table to eat with and be comforted by the Savior, Jesus.

So, my friends, as we begin Thanksgiving week, let us keep in mind our calling – to invite all to the fellowship with Jesus as head of the table.

Prayer: Lord, we are grateful for your generous invitation to us to be with you, Amen

Yesterday was November 22. For many of us, just like Franklin Roosevelt called December 7th, 1941, a day that would live in infamy, November 22, 1963, is that day for much of my generation.

I remember my first New Year of the change of a decade. It was the end of the 1950’s – December 31, 1959. We had great anticipation for 1960. Lots of hype about “Go like 60!” That was even a slogan for some advertisers. There was a hamburger place in Cincinnati called the “Sixty Second Shop” and they too tagged on to the new decade with the jingle. The 1960’s were going to be an exciting time! The 1950’s were going to be over.

Little did we know what the 1960’s were really going to be like, but when you were 9, going on 10 years old, it was really very cool time to be alive. There was a Presidential election coming up, and it looked like this young, good-looking fellow named John F. Kennedy, a Catholic Democrat, would be running for the office. My family was totally behind this guy.

Of course, he was elected in November, 1960, and he served until that fateful day- November 22, 1963. That was the real end of the 1950’s.

Much has been written about the historical effects of his assassination, and I can tell you that the impact of that act affected our country in ways we cannot really comprehend or document. It was the end of an innocent age. The 1950’s were the days of post-war America where we defined ourselves as a country. Post-war periods seem to have peculiar effects on countries. The economy, the international worldview, the desire for a new start, all combined to define an era that cannot ever be recaptured- only looked at wistfully.

The day that John F. Kennedy was slain, people of a certain age can tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. They can tell you what they were feeling, what they were thinking, and how their lives were changed. Everything changed. The world was no longer the safe predictable place we had grown up in. Yes, the Cold War had been on for years, but Kennedy had helped steer us through the Cuban missile crisis, and life was again safe and predictable. But on November 22, 1963, that all changed. That was the day the 1950’s really ended. It was the end of the “feel good”, carefree era. Technically, the 1950’s ended on December 31, 1959.

 But for many of us, looking back, the 1950’s ended that terrible day in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.

…God blessed them:
  “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
    for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”                                                    Genesis 1:28 (The Message)

Yes, you read that right- talk to your plants. This idea has been around for quite a while, and I think it might be a good idea, but maybe not for the reasons you think. In the past, people have claimed that the plants grow better when someone talks to them. Actually, the reasons that plants who are “spoken to” thrive is because they have attentive owners. Those plant owners will more likely water regularly, prune as needed, feed them, and make sure proper sunlight is available. The plants are not sentient, and they cannot “understand” what you are saying. They do, however, prosper from the Carbon Dioxide that you are breathing on them while you chat.

There is also another reason to talk to the plants. It is good for you. When you get in touch with any of God’s creation to the point of interaction, you are doing your soul some good. Further, when we talk to the plants, we are getting in touch with ourselves. We are actually searching ourselves and giving some vent to thoughts and ideas- even evoking kindness and caring- which are all good for us.

So, if you feel like it, talk to those plants. Sure, you might want to wait until you are alone so one else can misconstrue the situation, but go ahead- it might be good for you and your plants.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the joy of tending to your creation, and we are grateful, Amen

I often have occasion to talk with clients about locus of control. That is, “what are the things I can control, and what are those things I cannot.” There are times that we feel things are out of our control, even though they really are in our control. Conversely, there are times we feel that we can control certain things (like other people’s attitudes and behaviors), that we cannot.   

I recently spoke with a client who said that she knows she needs to address her marijuana use, but said that she is not ready now. She seemed to suggest that there would be circumstances that would arise later that would help her to make that decision. Things like that she would eventually grow weary of using, or her supplier would stop being there, or that she would feel more inclined to quit at a later time.

I pointed out that these were simply ways of putting off something that was currently under her control- a decision to stop. If she waited too long, she might lose that level of control. For example, her employer may fire her, and the decision she could have made earlier now carries an additional huge burden -unemployment. Indeed, paradoxically, that could be a trigger to use more!

As I have said in the past, anything that we put off, we pay back with interest. Bills, decisions, health issues- all those things cost more when we put off the uncomfortable present for the possibly devastating future.

Today is the day for the hard decisions we have been postponing. We might have to pay later with costly interest.

Prayer: Today is the day God have given us to make healthy choices, Amen

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.      Luke 15:1-2

This verse struck me when I was reading it the other day. It seems that the tax collectors and sinners were interested in what Jesus had to say. Interesting that the Pharisees were there too, but only as critics, not followers.

Those who were outcasts, judged by others, found comfort in hearing the words of Jesus. They seemed to know that Jesus was not interested in casting them away. They had heard the stories of his acceptance, healing, and words of comfort and reconciliation. After all, what is it that sinners and tax collectors had in common? They were outcasts, hated and judged by the community. They needed acceptance and forgiveness.

There is an old saying, “People need love the most when they are the least lovable.”  We need acceptance and forgiveness at exactly the times we are least lovable. Following Jesus sounds like a place of comfort in a difficult time.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the love and acceptance you extend through your son, Amen

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.                                                                                                                                     Galatians 3:28

Hellenism– A way to understand the world through the use of human reason and intellect

Hebraism – A way to understand the world through that which we cannot explain- mysticism

Each of these viewpoints can take the same phenomenon and explain its cause in a different way.

The great poet, professor, and cultural critic Matthew Arnold wrote an essay titled Hellenism vs. Hebraism in his book Culture and Anarchy (1869). I remember reading the essay in college, and it struck me as an intriguing way to see the world. I suppose my professor would be pleased that one of his assignments stuck with me for over 50 years!  

Arnold explained that there are two world views which dominate our understanding of the world. While this model is somewhat simplistic, I think it helps us to see how our thinking is shaped. The Hellenistic view was inspired by the civilizing Greek culture of antiquity. They emphasized a way to understand the world through the lens of human reason and intellect.

The Hebraic world view allowed for a more mystical way to understand the world- that not all phenomena can be explained simply through reason and logic. Of course, the Hebraic view was that of a Jewish culture that was heavily reliant on a spiritual understanding of life. God was the spirit that animated the world, and that is how we can understand things, even if those things are not explainable through empirical explanation.

Of course, both views have merit, and both need one another to have a fuller understanding of the world. There is a need, especially these days, to embrace world views that are not typically how we may see things. Depending upon where one stands, and the lenses through which we see things, we may have only a partial understanding of a situation. Embracing the possibility of another viewpoint is critical to deeper understanding.

Science alone cannot explain the world. Theology alone cannot explain natural phenomena. Together, we begin to see a more complete picture.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us resources to better understand the world and the Creation you formed, Amen

He set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved…               Psalm 104:5

In thinking of the marvel of creation, I am just amazed at what can and has been learned by scientists over the years. We have begun to probe the inner workings of the atom, and we find new particles seemingly every year. The CERN Collider in Switzerland keeps providing new information about matter, anti-matter, dark matter- yeah, who knew, right?

All this to say that the Psalmists knew to praise the Creator, without knowing the full content of what they were praising. His Creation is remarkable, and we are still figuring things out. There is so much that we do not see, yet we know that God is to be praised for it, even as we are largely in the dark yet about how the Universe works.

So, we accept the things that we do not yet understand. That is the essence of faith.

Prayer: Lord, what a Creation you have brought about! Amen

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day            Genesis 32.24

We are called to live in radical love with a broken world. We are called to love others who do not show that same love to us. We are called to speak truth to power at times when that may not be understood. So yes, we are called to wrestle.

What is the alternative? To avoid the suffering of others? To simply live in our own safe spaces? Indeed, many people in the world do not have such safe spaces. We are called to be living out a love for people in ways that we have been uniquely equipped by the Creator.

So, my friends, what is the wrestling that you need to do?

Prayer: Lord, how would you be calling us to wrestle with you today? Amen