This morning I was working on my article for the December newsletters which, of course, were on Advent....and I got to thinking a lot about this whole idea of Peace.
I have been working on Inner Peace my whole life....just part of the journey I have had.  Now, I am in a place where I  can, at least, get to that place of inner quiet and peace.
Many cannot.
Many cannot be still enough.
Many cannot stand the silence.
Many cannot trust that in the stillness
and the silence
is
God.
And that in the quiet voice of God, there is true peace.  The kind that scripture speaks of as passing all understanding.
The kind of peace that--if the whole world could truly experience it--would lead to world peace.
For if the world could experience the still, silent, peace of God, then the world would look at one another with new eyes.
Eyes that would see beauty and not threat.
Eyes that would be curious, not suspicious.
Eyes that would be gentle, not violent.
Eyes
of
God.

I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post!
Time goes so very quickly these days....I remember my grandparents and parents saying that so I guess I'm getting older.
On my mind?  Just this...why is it that we humans, all created wonderfully by God in God's sight, cannot seem to accept each other and get along?
Why do we fight over trivial things?
Why do relationships end just because we disagree----not that we don't love, but that we disagree and neither will move, surrender or even---gee think of this---CHANGE their minds!
Why do we go to wars over the dumbest things?
Why do we abandon the very people who are trying to love us the most and the best?
Why do we walk away instead of walking toward each other?
Why do we wait until someone we love dies before we express the appreciation and love we have for that person?
Why do I have to be like you?  And why do you have to agree with me?
Why do we hate?
Why is it so hard to sustain love and support for each other.

I know...lots of questions....do I have the answers?  To some, yes, but to many, I'm still searching too.  And the thing is, even if I have the answers----will you listen?

Fragile is a word that most of us only want to think about when considering crystal or pottery or antiques.
We CERTAINLY would NOT want to think of ourselves as fragile!
But why not?
A fragile crystal vase is something beautiful; created to be beautiful and useful as well.
How is that so different than you and I?
Why do we allow our society to dictate what it means to be strong....or fragile?  Why do we allow others to tell us how many hours we must work...or rest?
Why can't something or SOMEONE be both strong and fragile at the same time?
Why do we value "STUFF" and not each other?????  Or ourselves?????
If I sit and read a book or work on a piece of applique, am I a less valuable  person that when I work 60 hours a week?
If I start my morning by watching finches, cardinals, butterflies, hummingbirds and flowers, am I lazier than the one who gets up and vacuums and does 2 loads of laundry?  Really?  To WHOM??
God did not create us to be invincible, unbreakable, or in order to live up to anyone else's ideal than God's.
And......
YES, God does want us to read and create and watch nature and listen to birds sing and be.
YES....Even Jesus did these things.......
Sure, we are created to be useful as well, BUT, we are also called to enjoy that which God creates.
We are STRONG.
We are FRAGILE.
And we are beautiful when we are both!

Friends.....

Sorry it's been so long folks.....illness, work, work, work and ....well, anyway...I've missed this!


So here is the question:  What does it mean to be a friend?
What do you think of when you think of your friends?  Do you embody those same traits or characteristics?  Do you make friends with people who are like you or different than you?
I know, that's more than one question.  But, is it?  


Jesus calls us "friends"....in fact, he is very specific about telling the disciples that they are his friends.  And the fact that he does take the time to talk about this seems very profound and important to me.  
We sing the song, "What a friend we have in Jesus" but does that song really capture what it means for Jesus to be our friend?  Somehow--no disrespect here--the song has always seemed a little incomplete to me in its description of Jesus as our friend.


For me, a friend is someone who loves me when I am at my best and worst.  Someone who names the good stuff in me when I can't see it and calls me out [gently] when the bad stuff falls out.
A friend is someone who talks and listens; who makes me laugh and holds my hand when I cry.
In my own life, my friends have stood by me when I had cancer, when I made messes, when I triumphed and when I failed.
My friends are every color, shape, size, denomination, sexual orientation, in both political parties and in neither.  They don't think alike and some of them--if they were in the same room--would probably argue with each other!
They make me think, feel, change, stand my ground and, most of all, they make me better!
My friends let me do all the things I just described for them as well...and I am honored to do those things for them.
The above is not all that a friend is to me, but it is, for today, some of the most important qualities of a friend to me.


So what's missing here?  What's incomplete?
As I think more about this, perhaps it is that my own life as a friend does not live up to what Jesus would like me to be.  Oh, I know I'll always be somewhat "incomplete" simply because I'm human, but I also know that there is much room for improvement.  And, I don't think I am alone here.
And maybe, just maybe, the part about me being a friend in return is what I incorrectly think is missing in my friendship with Jesus.


Jesus is divine and whole and holy and so sometimes, I think we mistakenly believe that Jesus doesn't need us to be HIS friends, he just needs to be OURS.  
How WRONG that is!!!!
Jesus wants us--through our lives and our friendships to do all of these things and so very much more.  And Jesus---more than any other friend--knows we will have good and bad days being a friend and that's when we can count on him to fill in the gaps we leave.


That I have friends is amazing and wonderful and such a blessing!  And I thank each of you who are wonderful friends.
That I have a friend named Jesus Christ is a miracle.  And I will spend the rest of my life trying to show him how grateful I am!

Recently, much of my own prayer work has focused on centering myself in the deep peace of Christ.
This doesn't mean  that problems go away or that trouble doesn't come, but rather, it means that the way in which I am going to approach the issue and try to act comes from that deep place of being at peace with Christ being in charge instead of me.
Now I'm not always good at this....I sorta think most of us have a lot of work to do yet in this area.
But, if I see that the world needs to become a kinder, more civil, more peace-oriented place, than---at least what I have been taught---is that this begins with me....Remember the old song, "let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"?
What if all the "me/s" in the world [just a note--that includes the me/s reading this] were to constantly start their day, their project, their job, their conversations by centering in the deep peace of Christ first and then,---OH I KNOW IT"S RISKY---but then, let Christ speak through you?  What do you think would happen to the person you are speaking to?  What do you think would happen to you?  
Can we change the world?  You BET!  How?
Stop trying to be it all, do it all, and get it all.
Center
in the DEEP peace 
of Christ.
Live, speak, work, dance, love, act, stand
in the DEEP peace
of Christ.
Breathe.
Risk.
And let Christ do the hard work.

What frustration it has been to be sick --during Lent!  My favorite time of the year when I feel so close to God and love to spend time with the people of God.
I did nothing to create this which just added to the frustration of it all.  I don't mean to say that I blame anyone for it was nobody's fault....just a fluke.
And it is frustrating because it is taking SO long to get this straightened out...I'm STILL trying to get normal blood tests and still have to have my liver checked for permanent damage.
Frustration---something every single one of us experiences.  It is something that some of us handle better than others.  It is something that cannot be prevented, but, in fact, can be handled well.
So...the lesson...prayer helps, and even, in some moments, screaming into the open air.  But what helps the most is breathing and sinking into the arms of God and letting God know everything we are experiencing and allowing God to take care of all of it.
I am so blessed to have people in my life and in both of my congregations who remind me of this lesson continually and embody it most of the time--sometimes we are better at seeing the needs in others than in ourselves.
Today, I thank you God for all those who have prayed for me, talked to me, brought me food, medicine, taken me to doctors and churches, called me, wrote emails and facebook posts and sent cards, lifted me up when I was down and were the tangible living presence of Christ to me.
Yes, Easter has come!

God blesses us in so many different ways......today was a great example for me.
We had a MAGNIFICENT day of weather here---a May day in the middle of March.
My daffodils are blooming and look so beautiful.
Bible study was fun and interesting and energizing.
I had a great lunch with some volunteers at the church...good food and good conversation.
My dog welcomed me home with extra vigor today and he and I sat outside early this evening and enjoyed the world around us.
I'm reading 2 challenging books and listening to a healing book on CD.
I was able to get quite a bit accomplished work-wise and to talk to some folks who haven't been feeling well and who are now doing much better.
See---to me, all of those are blessings from God.  And I didn't even list all of them.
Have you ever kept a gratitude journal or a blessing book?
I think, sometimes, we don't even see the blessings around us unless we look intentionally at the world and the people in our lives.
So.....try it.  Look for blessings.  Look for good things.  Look for God.
I can promise you will be amazed and grateful!