Hidden Pond
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The Rosary
Rosary
My camera is slung around my neck
Like the crucifix
Of the penitent on pilgrimage.
My fingers touch the controls
Like the faithful
touch the beads of the rosary.
I seek the face of God
In pictures of nature
And in the face of men and women.
For both people
And nature are His creation
Bearing the mark of his hand.
Sunrises and Sunsets
They are His gift to us
Rainbows his divine promise.
And His gifts are hidden in you
Waiting to be revealed
In the morning and evening
Like the sunrises and sunsets
There for a few moments
Beautiful in the unfolding
Breathtaking in Revelation
Exploding in glory
An expression of love.
By H.D.
My camera is slung around my neck
Like the crucifix
Of the penitent on pilgrimage.
My fingers touch the controls
Like the faithful
touch the beads of the rosary.
I seek the face of God
In pictures of nature
And in the face of men and women.
For both people
And nature are His creation
Bearing the mark of his hand.
Sunrises and Sunsets
They are His gift to us
Rainbows his divine promise.
And His gifts are hidden in you
Waiting to be revealed
In the morning and evening
Like the sunrises and sunsets
There for a few moments
Beautiful in the unfolding
Breathtaking in Revelation
Exploding in glory
An expression of love.
By H.D.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Easter Sunday
Today is Easter Sunday!
As Christians, we are the People of Hope.
We expect nothing better than what Christ received-execution and death.
We also expect nothing less than what Christ received-resurrection by God to life eternal.
We are the people of Promise. We have the living and written Word of God. We have hope.
As Christians, we are the People of Hope.
We expect nothing better than what Christ received-execution and death.
We also expect nothing less than what Christ received-resurrection by God to life eternal.
We are the people of Promise. We have the living and written Word of God. We have hope.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Funerals, Harleys and Easter-They all go together!
In the Liturgical Calendar today is known as Good Saturday. It is the Saturday that commemorates Christ being in the tomb after his crucifixion and death on Good Friday.
Communion is generally not given on Good Friday. Today I will be doing a funeral service for a friend's mother who passed away last week.
She had an adventurous spirit and quite a heart. She also had become a Christian when she was 63 years old.
When her daughter bought her first Harley a few years ago her advice was go for it!
Sometime after she passed her 70th birthday she went for a ride on the back on her Son-in-law's Harley and went with him on the Expressways of San Diego, California. She loved it.
Wow!! What a Woman!!
Although HarleyDad does not do very many funerals these days-this one will be a pleasure.
We who are Christian believe in the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection. Tomorrow is Easter when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This is the heart of our faith.
HarleyDad
Communion is generally not given on Good Friday. Today I will be doing a funeral service for a friend's mother who passed away last week.
She had an adventurous spirit and quite a heart. She also had become a Christian when she was 63 years old.
When her daughter bought her first Harley a few years ago her advice was go for it!
Sometime after she passed her 70th birthday she went for a ride on the back on her Son-in-law's Harley and went with him on the Expressways of San Diego, California. She loved it.
Wow!! What a Woman!!
Although HarleyDad does not do very many funerals these days-this one will be a pleasure.
We who are Christian believe in the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection. Tomorrow is Easter when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This is the heart of our faith.
HarleyDad
Thursday, March 24, 2005
The Company Geese
Our Company has lakes-at least three of them. We also have geese which is somewhat like saying one has lice except that geese are harder to get rid of. They honk at you. They take over the parking lot. They poop on the doorstep and sidewalks. And we love them. They are the Company geese and they have privileges.
Run over one and you have big problems. You will probably have to apologize to the other geese (and I mean personally). Then there will be explanations that have to be given to Company officers et al. There will be filings that have to be made with the state wildlife authorities and who knows perhaps a report made to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Due to the fact that we have geese, we can not make jokes about giving people gooses and not even give a cooked Goose on Christmas. To do so, we believe would infringe upon their rights as geese and perhaps even to subject ourselves to tort liability due to the intentional infliction of emotional distress. We now have posted signs forbidding the telling of off color goose jokes or making other derogatory comments about the geese.
Further we now have put in our driving and parking areas "Goose Rideaway" signs to make sure that anti-goose employees do not take out their office rage or road rage on them.
In short geese pretty much reign supreme. We have discussed the possibility of allowing geese to be permitted to have pass cards allowing them to enter the building like the Peabody ducks that march into the Peabody hotel in Tennessee and have access to the fountains. This would be done by inserting a microchip into the wing of each goose.
Due to fact that our offices have carpets we are not considered to be a goose friendly corporation and are thinking about removing all carpeting and putting down tile flooring that is more goose friendly.
A minority group of our shareholders is very supportive of goose rights and want us to fund a microchip project allowing entry at will. That Group is placing a proposal before the company's shareholders and we have had to place their position in our proxy statement.
Further a number of us have been concerned that the geese be included in Ducks Unlimited. However others strongly feel that geese are not ducks and the whole proposal is foul in nature.
We often speak of the geese as being our geese. In reality the geese consider themselves to be a free and independent flock and keep referring to the company as being their company and our property as being their property.
Above are a few pictures of the lead goose. When they fly in V-formation, this guy (the Chief Goose Officer ("CGO") ) leads the pack and takes charge setting forth the goose positions on life at their company.
Above are pictures of the Chief Goose Officer.
Run over one and you have big problems. You will probably have to apologize to the other geese (and I mean personally). Then there will be explanations that have to be given to Company officers et al. There will be filings that have to be made with the state wildlife authorities and who knows perhaps a report made to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Due to the fact that we have geese, we can not make jokes about giving people gooses and not even give a cooked Goose on Christmas. To do so, we believe would infringe upon their rights as geese and perhaps even to subject ourselves to tort liability due to the intentional infliction of emotional distress. We now have posted signs forbidding the telling of off color goose jokes or making other derogatory comments about the geese.
Further we now have put in our driving and parking areas "Goose Rideaway" signs to make sure that anti-goose employees do not take out their office rage or road rage on them.
In short geese pretty much reign supreme. We have discussed the possibility of allowing geese to be permitted to have pass cards allowing them to enter the building like the Peabody ducks that march into the Peabody hotel in Tennessee and have access to the fountains. This would be done by inserting a microchip into the wing of each goose.
Due to fact that our offices have carpets we are not considered to be a goose friendly corporation and are thinking about removing all carpeting and putting down tile flooring that is more goose friendly.
A minority group of our shareholders is very supportive of goose rights and want us to fund a microchip project allowing entry at will. That Group is placing a proposal before the company's shareholders and we have had to place their position in our proxy statement.
Further a number of us have been concerned that the geese be included in Ducks Unlimited. However others strongly feel that geese are not ducks and the whole proposal is foul in nature.
We often speak of the geese as being our geese. In reality the geese consider themselves to be a free and independent flock and keep referring to the company as being their company and our property as being their property.
Above are a few pictures of the lead goose. When they fly in V-formation, this guy (the Chief Goose Officer ("CGO") ) leads the pack and takes charge setting forth the goose positions on life at their company.
Above are pictures of the Chief Goose Officer.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
I'd Rather Switch
Sitting around a lunch table. There were three of us. All attorneys. Comparing notes, we were all Methodists. We had all started life as Baptists.
What happened?
We had all been involved in one church fight or another. Often centering around the purity of the faith.
All of us at one time or another had decided that we would rather "switch than fight."
All of us had drifted toward the Methodist denomination who generally are a peaceable people.
That is really something. Three attorneys who want to be peaceable.
Kindness and peace go a long way these days! I remember my brother saying that "he had only one more church fight in him."
I don't even have that!
What happened?
We had all been involved in one church fight or another. Often centering around the purity of the faith.
All of us at one time or another had decided that we would rather "switch than fight."
All of us had drifted toward the Methodist denomination who generally are a peaceable people.
That is really something. Three attorneys who want to be peaceable.
Kindness and peace go a long way these days! I remember my brother saying that "he had only one more church fight in him."
I don't even have that!
The Roman Road
So here is the "Roman Road:"
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one ...."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ...."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:8-9 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Romans 3:22-26 "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (appeasing sacrifice) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
Romans 10:9-10 " for if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes resulting in rightousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one ...."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ...."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:8-9 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Romans 3:22-26 "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (appeasing sacrifice) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
Romans 10:9-10 " for if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes resulting in rightousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
Tertius
"I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the name of the Lord." Romans 16:22.
Now when was the last time you ever heard about Tertius? He was a real person with a real life. He had a real life, a real mother and father. He may have been in love at some time of his life. He may have been a Roman or a freed slave.
Not much is known about Tertius. We do know that he must have travelled with Paul. He evidently was a "man of letters." He served as Paul's secretary. As Paul dictates a letter to the Roman church, Tertius writes it down. At the end of book as Paul gives greetings to various people by name, Tertius pokes his head through the fabric of history and theology and says "Hi!" and includes his own greetings.
So often our lives seem to be filled with the mundane. Sometimes we are acting as a scribe for others. But God uses us in ways that are surprising. Only a handfull of names are known from that time of history , but we know of Tertius and his contributions to history were more outstanding than some emperors of Rome.
It is God's choice of how and when to use us and sometimes he uses us in surprising ways. I wonder if Tertius would have thought as a young man-"Someday, God will use me to help write and convey some of the greatest verses in the New Testament." Those verses would later serve to inspire many across the Ages including a cleric known as Matin Luther who would begin the Reformation in turn.
The verses of Romans include many of the verses that led many people to salvation including Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8 and Romans 10:9 and 10. These are often called the "Roman Road to Salvation." (Kind of a divine Appian Way leading up to the New Jerusalem, so to speak.)
All of these were presented to us thanks to a young man named Tertius.
Our goals in life are often to be first, Primus. Sometimes we are willing to be in Second Place, which in Latin is Secondus. But for the book of Romans, God chose to use a person whose name meant third place, Tertius.
It reminds me of the saying, God first, others second, self third.
So there is hope for those of us who are even third rate. We are Tertius. We are the third strike and sometimes God uses the humble in heart to hit a homerun.
There is hope for us yet!
Now when was the last time you ever heard about Tertius? He was a real person with a real life. He had a real life, a real mother and father. He may have been in love at some time of his life. He may have been a Roman or a freed slave.
Not much is known about Tertius. We do know that he must have travelled with Paul. He evidently was a "man of letters." He served as Paul's secretary. As Paul dictates a letter to the Roman church, Tertius writes it down. At the end of book as Paul gives greetings to various people by name, Tertius pokes his head through the fabric of history and theology and says "Hi!" and includes his own greetings.
So often our lives seem to be filled with the mundane. Sometimes we are acting as a scribe for others. But God uses us in ways that are surprising. Only a handfull of names are known from that time of history , but we know of Tertius and his contributions to history were more outstanding than some emperors of Rome.
It is God's choice of how and when to use us and sometimes he uses us in surprising ways. I wonder if Tertius would have thought as a young man-"Someday, God will use me to help write and convey some of the greatest verses in the New Testament." Those verses would later serve to inspire many across the Ages including a cleric known as Matin Luther who would begin the Reformation in turn.
The verses of Romans include many of the verses that led many people to salvation including Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8 and Romans 10:9 and 10. These are often called the "Roman Road to Salvation." (Kind of a divine Appian Way leading up to the New Jerusalem, so to speak.)
All of these were presented to us thanks to a young man named Tertius.
Our goals in life are often to be first, Primus. Sometimes we are willing to be in Second Place, which in Latin is Secondus. But for the book of Romans, God chose to use a person whose name meant third place, Tertius.
It reminds me of the saying, God first, others second, self third.
So there is hope for those of us who are even third rate. We are Tertius. We are the third strike and sometimes God uses the humble in heart to hit a homerun.
There is hope for us yet!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Enemies
We are often surrounded by a cloud of enemies. These enemies are the "nay-sayers" in our lives. They are those who are the unbelievers. They believe neither in the power of God to help us or in our power to help ourselves. They are the nay-sayers.
There is an old saying that I heard as a young boy. It was "Can't never could." As I progress through life, it seems that I have often had to swim upstream against the current instead of drift toward my goals and the goals that I know to be right not only in my heart but from the very word of God found in Scripture.
Around me has often been unbelief that I found in teachers, school-mates, friends and co-workers. "You will never be able to get an A in that course. You will never get into that school. You will never be able to get that job. You will never be able to satisfy that boss. You will never be able to solve that problem."
Where I work challenges are often described as opportunities. What a healthy way of looking at things.
I also like the saying that if life gives you lemons, then make lemonade.
My prayer is that God will give me a positive attitude. A "can do attitude". A never stay down attitude. The righteous man is knocked down seven times, but gets up eight times.
I very much love the Scripture of Philippians 4:13 that says: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Many times I have been unable to accomplish my goals; but I get right up and try again because I believe that I have help in Jesus Christ.
The Bible character Caleb is one of my favorites. He was one of the two spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land that came back with a good report and said that with God's help the Israelites could take the Promised Land. The other 10 said that they could not and never lived to see the Promised Land.
As an Old Man, 40 years later, Caleb asked Joshua for the toughest land to take- the land that was inhabited by giants. Caleb had a warrior's heart. He also had a heart of faith in God and a can do attitude.
So if you will have a "can do" attitude and believe that God will help you, you can accomplish big things.
Brokerbelle's dad was a Seabee in the Second World War. He was wounded on the South Pacific in areas of the heaviest Japanese fighting, building things that were impossible to build in impossible conditions. It is tough to build landing strips in jungles with enemy soldiers sniping at you everyday. What is the motto of the Seabees? Yes, you guessed it. It is : "Can do."
So what is the inheritance of my children? It is faith. It is the spirit of the warrior. It is as my daughter says, "Bushido." It is a fighting "can do", "never give up" spirit. It is the spirit of Caleb. It is the spirit of God that says that "all things are possible." It is the best inheritance.
There is an old saying that I heard as a young boy. It was "Can't never could." As I progress through life, it seems that I have often had to swim upstream against the current instead of drift toward my goals and the goals that I know to be right not only in my heart but from the very word of God found in Scripture.
Around me has often been unbelief that I found in teachers, school-mates, friends and co-workers. "You will never be able to get an A in that course. You will never get into that school. You will never be able to get that job. You will never be able to satisfy that boss. You will never be able to solve that problem."
Where I work challenges are often described as opportunities. What a healthy way of looking at things.
I also like the saying that if life gives you lemons, then make lemonade.
My prayer is that God will give me a positive attitude. A "can do attitude". A never stay down attitude. The righteous man is knocked down seven times, but gets up eight times.
I very much love the Scripture of Philippians 4:13 that says: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Many times I have been unable to accomplish my goals; but I get right up and try again because I believe that I have help in Jesus Christ.
The Bible character Caleb is one of my favorites. He was one of the two spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land that came back with a good report and said that with God's help the Israelites could take the Promised Land. The other 10 said that they could not and never lived to see the Promised Land.
As an Old Man, 40 years later, Caleb asked Joshua for the toughest land to take- the land that was inhabited by giants. Caleb had a warrior's heart. He also had a heart of faith in God and a can do attitude.
So if you will have a "can do" attitude and believe that God will help you, you can accomplish big things.
Brokerbelle's dad was a Seabee in the Second World War. He was wounded on the South Pacific in areas of the heaviest Japanese fighting, building things that were impossible to build in impossible conditions. It is tough to build landing strips in jungles with enemy soldiers sniping at you everyday. What is the motto of the Seabees? Yes, you guessed it. It is : "Can do."
So what is the inheritance of my children? It is faith. It is the spirit of the warrior. It is as my daughter says, "Bushido." It is a fighting "can do", "never give up" spirit. It is the spirit of Caleb. It is the spirit of God that says that "all things are possible." It is the best inheritance.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Serving Time
Serving Time
Time does not always run at the same speed. Sometimes time runs fast. Sometimes slow. Time runs faster when we are watching our favorite television show. When we go to the high school commencement for our next door neighbor’s boy it runs slower. When we are having fun, time runs fast. When we are in pain and agony, it runs slow. Time is variable or at least our perception of time is variable.
I meet many hurried and harried professionals. They do not have enough time in their life. But there are exceptions.
Some people have time. Plenty of time. Too much time. The quadraplegic in the hospital has time. Plenty of time. Agonizing time.
I discussed time with the Emerald Prince. Now as most of you know the Emerald Prince retired to the Emerald Palace where he is a guest of the Great State of Ozarklandia. The Emerald Prince has a number of acquaintances who have time on their hands. His good friend and room mate evidently has two life times of time but is expected to survive only the first of his two consecutive sentences.
So time some times takes on a different meaning. Think about spending the rest of your life behind bars. You will have no more children. No more time before the Christmas tree. No more being held in the arms of the person that you love and who loves you. Your food will be always mundane. Will you be motivated by being one of the best workers in the prison laundry that they have ever seen. When your parents die, you will not be able to attend the funeral. When your daughter gets married, you will not be there to give her away (or to be the mother of the bride if you are a mother serving time). You are not there to help your children if they get picked on in school or to help them with their homework or see them graduate.
You are like a ghost. Separated from society, but always looking and still feeling the pain. Pain that you have caused to others and pain that you receive in return.
Time goes slow when you are in pain.
So I asked the Emerald Prince about time. His answer was: “I have plenty of time but not lots of opportunity.”
Among the prisoners there are two types. There are those who can expect to get out some day and those who do not expect to ever get out. One has a hope and an expectation. The other does not. Hope makes all the difference. One has everything to gain by good conduct. The other has nothing to loose by bad conduct.
So, you see, not everybody sees time the same way.
Now I have a question. Is a prayer offered to God in prison as good as a prayer offered to God outside of prison? Will God listen to a prisoner’s prayers? I believe the answer is yes. It is the same. God does not make distinctions between prisoners and non-prisoners. He looks on the repentant heart no matter where that heart is located.
And prisoners. Many godly people have experience prisons. Others finally wake up in prison after years of drug or alcohol induced dementia. Sometime people are even imprisoned for their faith. Sometimes it is for other reasons.
Joseph was a prisoner for about 16 years before he became second to the Pharoah. I wonder how many times he prayed to get out of prison as he saw his life ebbing away one sand at a time just like an hour glass with the sands running out.
Peter, Paul and John all lived in prison for considerable time.
John the Baptist was put into prison and even received capital punishment during the life of Jesus.
Christians of all ages and times have experienced prison.
John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrims Progress was thrown into prison.
Watchman Nee was sent to prison by the Communists.
The litany of Christian prisoners is a long one. That why Jesus said: If you have visited them you have visited me."
We complain about how little time we have. But some people have plenty of time. Time that seems to go on a long, long time.
The prisoners have a saying for it. When they are serving time when a relative dies or a spouse gets tired of waiting for them and marries another, it is called “hard time.” Because they are inside and helpless.
But all time eventually runs out. Good times, even hard times. But behind time is God. And I believe His hands are stretched out to embrace us and to welcome us home. Time will not always be our master but someday I believe it will serve us as we enter into the true and eternal household of God. There time will bow the knee to eternity.
And time will serve us instead of us serving time.
Time does not always run at the same speed. Sometimes time runs fast. Sometimes slow. Time runs faster when we are watching our favorite television show. When we go to the high school commencement for our next door neighbor’s boy it runs slower. When we are having fun, time runs fast. When we are in pain and agony, it runs slow. Time is variable or at least our perception of time is variable.
I meet many hurried and harried professionals. They do not have enough time in their life. But there are exceptions.
Some people have time. Plenty of time. Too much time. The quadraplegic in the hospital has time. Plenty of time. Agonizing time.
I discussed time with the Emerald Prince. Now as most of you know the Emerald Prince retired to the Emerald Palace where he is a guest of the Great State of Ozarklandia. The Emerald Prince has a number of acquaintances who have time on their hands. His good friend and room mate evidently has two life times of time but is expected to survive only the first of his two consecutive sentences.
So time some times takes on a different meaning. Think about spending the rest of your life behind bars. You will have no more children. No more time before the Christmas tree. No more being held in the arms of the person that you love and who loves you. Your food will be always mundane. Will you be motivated by being one of the best workers in the prison laundry that they have ever seen. When your parents die, you will not be able to attend the funeral. When your daughter gets married, you will not be there to give her away (or to be the mother of the bride if you are a mother serving time). You are not there to help your children if they get picked on in school or to help them with their homework or see them graduate.
You are like a ghost. Separated from society, but always looking and still feeling the pain. Pain that you have caused to others and pain that you receive in return.
Time goes slow when you are in pain.
So I asked the Emerald Prince about time. His answer was: “I have plenty of time but not lots of opportunity.”
Among the prisoners there are two types. There are those who can expect to get out some day and those who do not expect to ever get out. One has a hope and an expectation. The other does not. Hope makes all the difference. One has everything to gain by good conduct. The other has nothing to loose by bad conduct.
So, you see, not everybody sees time the same way.
Now I have a question. Is a prayer offered to God in prison as good as a prayer offered to God outside of prison? Will God listen to a prisoner’s prayers? I believe the answer is yes. It is the same. God does not make distinctions between prisoners and non-prisoners. He looks on the repentant heart no matter where that heart is located.
And prisoners. Many godly people have experience prisons. Others finally wake up in prison after years of drug or alcohol induced dementia. Sometime people are even imprisoned for their faith. Sometimes it is for other reasons.
Joseph was a prisoner for about 16 years before he became second to the Pharoah. I wonder how many times he prayed to get out of prison as he saw his life ebbing away one sand at a time just like an hour glass with the sands running out.
Peter, Paul and John all lived in prison for considerable time.
John the Baptist was put into prison and even received capital punishment during the life of Jesus.
Christians of all ages and times have experienced prison.
John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrims Progress was thrown into prison.
Watchman Nee was sent to prison by the Communists.
The litany of Christian prisoners is a long one. That why Jesus said: If you have visited them you have visited me."
We complain about how little time we have. But some people have plenty of time. Time that seems to go on a long, long time.
The prisoners have a saying for it. When they are serving time when a relative dies or a spouse gets tired of waiting for them and marries another, it is called “hard time.” Because they are inside and helpless.
But all time eventually runs out. Good times, even hard times. But behind time is God. And I believe His hands are stretched out to embrace us and to welcome us home. Time will not always be our master but someday I believe it will serve us as we enter into the true and eternal household of God. There time will bow the knee to eternity.
And time will serve us instead of us serving time.
God, Time and Tuna Fish
So many things to do, so little time to do them. This is especially true when we have relatives visit or have guests.
The house must be straight. We clean, we put the dirty clothes away. We vacuum and dust. After all what happens if someone comes to our house and it does not look perfect. They will think poorly of us no matter what else is going on in our lives. They will judge us for the condition of our house cleaning. Because we do not live in a state of perfectual order (and this is especially true if we have children), then we do not show hospitality and we do not have guests over because to do so is a monumental task.
After all a good host does have his or her obligations.
These dynamics remain true even if the visitor is Jesus. For instance, if a person wants God in their life, they often feel that they need to clean up before Jesus can visit. I need time to become better and when when I am better, then Jesus is welcome to visit. But in reality, we never become better. We never clean up. Jesus has to come visit us first-in our mess and filth.
I love the story of Jesus coming to visit Martha and Mary. It is found in Luke 10:38-41 and goes like this:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I identify with the account. Many of us are Marthas. We are the responsible ones. We are the ones who do the work and make the preparations. We want the house clean. There is food to be cooked and if it is not cooked then maybe even Jesus and the disciples will go hungry. And we end up doing it alone, when the guests and relatives are sitting around waiting to be served.
But Jesus turns the story on its head. In essence, he says that we must prioritize. Hearing the words of the Master and feeding the spirit is more important than having the house neat and doing the dishes. It is more important than having a hot supper on the table and feeding the masses.
He encourages all of us Marthas to take a break and become Marys. He invites us to stop working for a while and sit at his feet and learn from him. He invites us to experience fellowship and devotion. And yes there is a cost—the preparations will not be done. But the benefit of accepting the invitation far outweighs the pain of not getting the tyranny of the tasks satisfied.
And who knows, but that later, the whole guest list might have to chip in and work if they want something to eat.
There is a time to do house work but there is a time to stop and feed the spirit.
A number of years ago a married couple taught us about hospitality. We visited a church and were invited home to dinner by one of the couples the first time we attended. Amazingly we accepted the invitation. When we arrived at the home the house was OK but was not particularly neat. The hostess begin looking in the cabinet and got out a can of tuna fish and we ate tuna fish sandwiches and potatoe chips. We were somewhat surprised by all of this. However, the dinner was delicious, the conversation and fellowship were even more tasty and we found that we had been more hungry for honest hospitality than for food. It was certainly more rare. We later joined the church and these people became great friends. We had been initiated into “tuna fish fellowship.” And if it was good enough for us; it was good enough for them. So we felt free to invite them over on the spur of the moment and crack open a can of tuna fish if necessary.
Time is a strange thing. Why waste it on making everything perfect. The children just make the house dirty again. But when we spend time with Jesus, that time can not be taken away from us.
The house must be straight. We clean, we put the dirty clothes away. We vacuum and dust. After all what happens if someone comes to our house and it does not look perfect. They will think poorly of us no matter what else is going on in our lives. They will judge us for the condition of our house cleaning. Because we do not live in a state of perfectual order (and this is especially true if we have children), then we do not show hospitality and we do not have guests over because to do so is a monumental task.
After all a good host does have his or her obligations.
These dynamics remain true even if the visitor is Jesus. For instance, if a person wants God in their life, they often feel that they need to clean up before Jesus can visit. I need time to become better and when when I am better, then Jesus is welcome to visit. But in reality, we never become better. We never clean up. Jesus has to come visit us first-in our mess and filth.
I love the story of Jesus coming to visit Martha and Mary. It is found in Luke 10:38-41 and goes like this:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I identify with the account. Many of us are Marthas. We are the responsible ones. We are the ones who do the work and make the preparations. We want the house clean. There is food to be cooked and if it is not cooked then maybe even Jesus and the disciples will go hungry. And we end up doing it alone, when the guests and relatives are sitting around waiting to be served.
But Jesus turns the story on its head. In essence, he says that we must prioritize. Hearing the words of the Master and feeding the spirit is more important than having the house neat and doing the dishes. It is more important than having a hot supper on the table and feeding the masses.
He encourages all of us Marthas to take a break and become Marys. He invites us to stop working for a while and sit at his feet and learn from him. He invites us to experience fellowship and devotion. And yes there is a cost—the preparations will not be done. But the benefit of accepting the invitation far outweighs the pain of not getting the tyranny of the tasks satisfied.
And who knows, but that later, the whole guest list might have to chip in and work if they want something to eat.
There is a time to do house work but there is a time to stop and feed the spirit.
A number of years ago a married couple taught us about hospitality. We visited a church and were invited home to dinner by one of the couples the first time we attended. Amazingly we accepted the invitation. When we arrived at the home the house was OK but was not particularly neat. The hostess begin looking in the cabinet and got out a can of tuna fish and we ate tuna fish sandwiches and potatoe chips. We were somewhat surprised by all of this. However, the dinner was delicious, the conversation and fellowship were even more tasty and we found that we had been more hungry for honest hospitality than for food. It was certainly more rare. We later joined the church and these people became great friends. We had been initiated into “tuna fish fellowship.” And if it was good enough for us; it was good enough for them. So we felt free to invite them over on the spur of the moment and crack open a can of tuna fish if necessary.
Time is a strange thing. Why waste it on making everything perfect. The children just make the house dirty again. But when we spend time with Jesus, that time can not be taken away from us.
Friday, March 18, 2005
God in Time-Part 2
God controls space and time. He controls life and death. Jesus illustrated this control by raising people from the dead, such as Lazarus.
The control of time and space is illustrated by the following:
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day? Then Isaiah said, This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees, no but let the shadow go backward ten degrees. So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz (2 Kings 20:8-11). And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down (Isaiah 38:7,8).
We limit what we believe God can do by our experiences and our imagination.
Hezekiah wanted a sign that God’s promise to heal him was true and so asked what seemed to him to be an impossible request.
I sympathize with the young man or woman professional, especially with those who have spouses and children that are surrounded with the demands of time-this is particularly true of women trying to balance a career with family responsibilities. There is the responsibility of doing your job well, taking care of the children and the spouse as well. There is shopping to be done, clothes to be cleaned, food to be cooked and constant, unending, never ceasing demands.
We try to balance all the demands on our lives and perhaps on our best days we keep everything balanced. Then there are those other days. Something gets shorted. Work does not get done, a child’s needs go unmet, we have eaten at McDonald’s for the fourth time this week, and spouse just ran out of clean socks. We experience guilt despite the fact that we have given 100% but unfortunately the demands require 120% of us. No personal time. Then there is the guilt.
So what do we do?
The concept found in the Bible is that we give to God the first fruits. Yes, if we place God at the end of the line, rest assured at the end of the day there are no fruits left. Does God need our first fruits? Probably not. Do we need to give our first fruits? Probably yes.
For instance begin your day (or for you night owls-late in the day) set aside time for yourself and God. You and God can share a personal time. Read Scripture, pray, meditate, sing a worship song-do something that involves only you and God. These are the first fruits.
As we give these first fruits to God, these fruits of relationship, your time will be multiplied back to you just like the loaves and fishes that the little boy brought to the apostles. As God becomes involved in the time of your life, it will be multiplied in your life.
Will you get everything done? Probably not. But you may now instead get the important things done.
Personally, I spent much time in my life doing the unimportant. It is better to do the right things, the important things. Some things must be left undone and we trust to God.
I have spent substantial time in my life building “houses” that God did not need to be built. “If God build not the house, they labor in vain who built it.” Well, I have been like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. “Hey, I have got a great idea, let’s build three tabernacles to honor Jesus, Moses and Elijah.” I know the feeling and went out to get the temple materials and the laborers to build what God does not need to have built.
Instead of building, I should have been listening. But listening involves doing nothing but listening and does not have the appearance of action.
For those oppressed by the burden of too many demands and too little time, give of the first fruits. Offer the sacrifice by giving of some personal time between you and God.
The demands of the job, spouse and the household must stand back like tigers circling you, and you like Daniel are to meet God in the lion’s den of your life. This is the life of faith. You do not meet the incessant demands, but you turn for a few minutes, your eyes to God and ask that he meet your demands and those demands that encircle you. The demands will not eat you. They will still be there in the morning and so will you. God will do a miracle, and who knows, even the sun may back up for you and you get an extra hour in your day. I know, I could sure use one.
The control of time and space is illustrated by the following:
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day? Then Isaiah said, This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees, no but let the shadow go backward ten degrees. So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz (2 Kings 20:8-11). And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down (Isaiah 38:7,8).
We limit what we believe God can do by our experiences and our imagination.
Hezekiah wanted a sign that God’s promise to heal him was true and so asked what seemed to him to be an impossible request.
I sympathize with the young man or woman professional, especially with those who have spouses and children that are surrounded with the demands of time-this is particularly true of women trying to balance a career with family responsibilities. There is the responsibility of doing your job well, taking care of the children and the spouse as well. There is shopping to be done, clothes to be cleaned, food to be cooked and constant, unending, never ceasing demands.
We try to balance all the demands on our lives and perhaps on our best days we keep everything balanced. Then there are those other days. Something gets shorted. Work does not get done, a child’s needs go unmet, we have eaten at McDonald’s for the fourth time this week, and spouse just ran out of clean socks. We experience guilt despite the fact that we have given 100% but unfortunately the demands require 120% of us. No personal time. Then there is the guilt.
So what do we do?
The concept found in the Bible is that we give to God the first fruits. Yes, if we place God at the end of the line, rest assured at the end of the day there are no fruits left. Does God need our first fruits? Probably not. Do we need to give our first fruits? Probably yes.
For instance begin your day (or for you night owls-late in the day) set aside time for yourself and God. You and God can share a personal time. Read Scripture, pray, meditate, sing a worship song-do something that involves only you and God. These are the first fruits.
As we give these first fruits to God, these fruits of relationship, your time will be multiplied back to you just like the loaves and fishes that the little boy brought to the apostles. As God becomes involved in the time of your life, it will be multiplied in your life.
Will you get everything done? Probably not. But you may now instead get the important things done.
Personally, I spent much time in my life doing the unimportant. It is better to do the right things, the important things. Some things must be left undone and we trust to God.
I have spent substantial time in my life building “houses” that God did not need to be built. “If God build not the house, they labor in vain who built it.” Well, I have been like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. “Hey, I have got a great idea, let’s build three tabernacles to honor Jesus, Moses and Elijah.” I know the feeling and went out to get the temple materials and the laborers to build what God does not need to have built.
Instead of building, I should have been listening. But listening involves doing nothing but listening and does not have the appearance of action.
For those oppressed by the burden of too many demands and too little time, give of the first fruits. Offer the sacrifice by giving of some personal time between you and God.
The demands of the job, spouse and the household must stand back like tigers circling you, and you like Daniel are to meet God in the lion’s den of your life. This is the life of faith. You do not meet the incessant demands, but you turn for a few minutes, your eyes to God and ask that he meet your demands and those demands that encircle you. The demands will not eat you. They will still be there in the morning and so will you. God will do a miracle, and who knows, even the sun may back up for you and you get an extra hour in your day. I know, I could sure use one.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
God and Time -Part 1
There is an old saying among attorneys that time is our only commodity. That is true with all of us. We are granted time that we can give away or invest. Each person is allotted a block of time but interestingly enough does not know how large that block is.
We trade blocks of time and effort for education, training and money.
All time is not the same. For instance, there are times and moments that are precious to us forever. I still remember when I first fell in love with my wife. I can remember how happy I was just be in her presence. I did not have to say anything or do anything. The time was precious and memorable.
I can remember the day each of my children were born. There are many days that have faded from memory-but not those days.
Many of us remember September 11 and what we were doing and where we were on that fateful days.
So certain pieces of time take precedence over others. Some are particularly good times; some are bad times. Both are more memorable than the ordinary or mundane times.
Time is a gift. When a busy person grants us time we are thankful for their gift of time. We know their time is precious because there is so little of it.
Here is an exerpt from the blog of my daughter, the ImpQueen:
My day today looks like every other working mom's day:
Kid one to school. Breakfast for kid two about now, while I blog and get myself ready for work. Ignore chest ouchiness. Take meds. Kid two to school.Bank, video store.
Client one (cervical quadriplegic)
Client two (sweet normal grieving widow whose sister died.. take extra time to be there, as she is housebound. Play with her bird.) Check voice mail from office, answer and alter day as needed.
Client three (Alzheimer's patient who doesn't know it. Recent amputee. Sweet lady, be gentle. Reorganize all her meds. Again. Smile. She doesn't know we do this every week. Play with her dog. Hugs all around.)
Client four, in hospital, don't go. Put her on list for tomorrow. Client five, terminal, caring for her grandchildren. LOTS of meds. Lots of support. Might be easier if client wasn't screaming at God most of the time, but it's understandable. Love her anyway. Try not to kick adult son who does nothing.)
Clients six and seven if time, both not my clients - I'm covering for a maternity leave. I'm happy to do it. Babies are sweet.
Pick up Princess at school at 2.40, take her to hair appointment, pick up choir dress, go by post office and send eBay package out, pick up Imp Prince at home by 3.45. Do something for dinner. Check on my grandmother. Check on Arnie's dad. Check voice mail from work. College conference for Princess at 4.30ish. Princess has dress rehearsal tonight. Spelling words with Prince. Laundry. Work out, if time. Hope Princess has a ride home from dress rehearsal.Say hi to Philip. Pop his back, listen to his day, toss him the remote control so he can watch TV and unwind.Take a minute to rest, take meds. brain spinning like a top. Find time to listen to the Kyrie, the Credo, the Sanctus before bed. Maybe the Agnus Dei, since I listened to Godsmack and The Killers in the car all day.
So there it is. The day of a busy working mom.
Is God somehow involved in time. The answer is yes. He is above time in one respect. When Moses asked God what his name was God responded: “I am.” In Hebrew it was meant “I am, I was, I will be.”
I do not understand much about time. However, I do not believe God is necessarily bounded by time but somehow is above time. We however see time on a linear basis.
Nor do I believe that all time is the same. Some time may be more precious than other time. An hour in prayer may be worth more somehow than an hour eating a Big Mac at McDonalds. An hour spend in worship may be more precious than an hour spent watching a sports event on television.
All I know is that time is a gift. And I am thankful that people have given me their time for indeed their time is a precious part of their life. I hope that I will give away my time as my heart and God leads.
As I grow older, time seems more precious to me. Perhaps this is because I have traded large portions of it for education and for working and not given enough of it for other very, very precious things. Will I sleep through sunrises, and work through sunsets. I don’t know. Perhaps not as much.
Did I spend as much time with friends and family as I should have. Unfortunately, I did not.
God has put us all in the position that we must live our lives one day at a time. That is why he taught us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” My prayer is that I should use the time God has given me for this day with wisdom. Perhaps try not to take too much time from others who are scarce with their time, and at the same time give the gift of my time to others as they have need.
It is a tough task as my daughter’s blog indicates. However, look at the gifts that she was able to give during her day.
We trade blocks of time and effort for education, training and money.
All time is not the same. For instance, there are times and moments that are precious to us forever. I still remember when I first fell in love with my wife. I can remember how happy I was just be in her presence. I did not have to say anything or do anything. The time was precious and memorable.
I can remember the day each of my children were born. There are many days that have faded from memory-but not those days.
Many of us remember September 11 and what we were doing and where we were on that fateful days.
So certain pieces of time take precedence over others. Some are particularly good times; some are bad times. Both are more memorable than the ordinary or mundane times.
Time is a gift. When a busy person grants us time we are thankful for their gift of time. We know their time is precious because there is so little of it.
Here is an exerpt from the blog of my daughter, the ImpQueen:
My day today looks like every other working mom's day:
Kid one to school. Breakfast for kid two about now, while I blog and get myself ready for work. Ignore chest ouchiness. Take meds. Kid two to school.Bank, video store.
Client one (cervical quadriplegic)
Client two (sweet normal grieving widow whose sister died.. take extra time to be there, as she is housebound. Play with her bird.) Check voice mail from office, answer and alter day as needed.
Client three (Alzheimer's patient who doesn't know it. Recent amputee. Sweet lady, be gentle. Reorganize all her meds. Again. Smile. She doesn't know we do this every week. Play with her dog. Hugs all around.)
Client four, in hospital, don't go. Put her on list for tomorrow. Client five, terminal, caring for her grandchildren. LOTS of meds. Lots of support. Might be easier if client wasn't screaming at God most of the time, but it's understandable. Love her anyway. Try not to kick adult son who does nothing.)
Clients six and seven if time, both not my clients - I'm covering for a maternity leave. I'm happy to do it. Babies are sweet.
Pick up Princess at school at 2.40, take her to hair appointment, pick up choir dress, go by post office and send eBay package out, pick up Imp Prince at home by 3.45. Do something for dinner. Check on my grandmother. Check on Arnie's dad. Check voice mail from work. College conference for Princess at 4.30ish. Princess has dress rehearsal tonight. Spelling words with Prince. Laundry. Work out, if time. Hope Princess has a ride home from dress rehearsal.Say hi to Philip. Pop his back, listen to his day, toss him the remote control so he can watch TV and unwind.Take a minute to rest, take meds. brain spinning like a top. Find time to listen to the Kyrie, the Credo, the Sanctus before bed. Maybe the Agnus Dei, since I listened to Godsmack and The Killers in the car all day.
So there it is. The day of a busy working mom.
Is God somehow involved in time. The answer is yes. He is above time in one respect. When Moses asked God what his name was God responded: “I am.” In Hebrew it was meant “I am, I was, I will be.”
I do not understand much about time. However, I do not believe God is necessarily bounded by time but somehow is above time. We however see time on a linear basis.
Nor do I believe that all time is the same. Some time may be more precious than other time. An hour in prayer may be worth more somehow than an hour eating a Big Mac at McDonalds. An hour spend in worship may be more precious than an hour spent watching a sports event on television.
All I know is that time is a gift. And I am thankful that people have given me their time for indeed their time is a precious part of their life. I hope that I will give away my time as my heart and God leads.
As I grow older, time seems more precious to me. Perhaps this is because I have traded large portions of it for education and for working and not given enough of it for other very, very precious things. Will I sleep through sunrises, and work through sunsets. I don’t know. Perhaps not as much.
Did I spend as much time with friends and family as I should have. Unfortunately, I did not.
God has put us all in the position that we must live our lives one day at a time. That is why he taught us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” My prayer is that I should use the time God has given me for this day with wisdom. Perhaps try not to take too much time from others who are scarce with their time, and at the same time give the gift of my time to others as they have need.
It is a tough task as my daughter’s blog indicates. However, look at the gifts that she was able to give during her day.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Faith in Prison
Faith, hope and love are rare commodities anywhere. They are much rarer than gold, more scarce than you would imagine. Faith and hope are diminished when you do not believe that you will ever be free again. You have been locked into a living tomb to await your eventual death. Society has judged that you have no value except to exist. Your award is worse than death itself. Instead it is years of a living death.
When I talked with the Emerald Prince, I asked him what percentage of the crimes committed involved drugs and alchohol . He responded 90%. In short, many people are there because of being psychotic or sociopathic through the use of drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are not an excuse for crime. However, the effect of drugs and alcohol in sending many people to prison should not be ignored by society either.
So to many prisoners real life is outside. And for them they remain in the tombs until it is time for release. They believe only what they can touch and feel. And in that, they are much like many on the outside of the tombs that believe the same. Further many of these same people did not deal with reality when they were outside but instead lived in living hazes of drug and alcohol stupor. Drugs and alcohol were the substance and fabric of their lives.
Hebrews 11:1 says : "Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
You can not touch faith-but faith can touch you. Faith is not seeing and believing. It is believing without seeing. St. Thomas demonstrated lack of faith. He said unless he saw Christ and touched the wounds, he would not believe. God in his mercy met Thomas even in his lack of faith. So Thomas saw the wounds and believed. God even helps our faith sometimes. As one guy in the Bible said: "I believe, help my unbelief."
The essence of faith is believing without seeing. It is a belief in God (i.e. belief that He is) and a belief that he will answer our plea for help. It is belief that Jesus is the son of God and that He came to renew our life. Every Christian funeral involves the belief that God will raise the dead just as He said that He would do and just as He raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Some prisioners believe that faith is too hard. How interesting that faith would be too tough for some tough guys. These same guys employ faith in other areas of their life everyday and in effect require some measure of faith just to continue to make it each day.
For instance, when their mother or wife or daughter says that she loves him and is coming to visit him, the prisoner believes it in faith. So if I were to go to the prisoner and say: "Well, your wife does not really love you, she really hates you but is just coming to visit you out of obligation. She does not really love you because love does not really exist. It is just atoms. There is no true emotion. You are not really loved. You just want to think that someone loves you when there really is no such thing."
If I were to say these evil things, I can assure you that I would have a bunch of very angry prisoners after me.
Yet, irrationally, they are willing to say the same type of evil thing about the love of God for them.
By confessing such a thing they go a long way toward making it not so. Almost. But the grace of God continues to work on them nonetheless just as it did with St. Thomas. God is still stretching out his hands to them.
Does God care about the prisoner as much as He does about the non-prisoner. I believe that the answer is Yes, He does. Is the soul of a prisoner worth as much as the same as a non-prisoner, I believe the answer is that it is worth the same.
In one sense, we are all captives of sin. He came to set the captives free.
Faith, hope and love grow in the rich soil of belief. The tender shoots of faith are destroyed by the hard rocks of doubt and unbelief. It is my prayer that the seeds of belief will begin to spring forth and the waters of the Holy Spirit will cause them to grow and prosper even in our prison system as well as elsewhere.
When I talked with the Emerald Prince, I asked him what percentage of the crimes committed involved drugs and alchohol . He responded 90%. In short, many people are there because of being psychotic or sociopathic through the use of drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are not an excuse for crime. However, the effect of drugs and alcohol in sending many people to prison should not be ignored by society either.
So to many prisoners real life is outside. And for them they remain in the tombs until it is time for release. They believe only what they can touch and feel. And in that, they are much like many on the outside of the tombs that believe the same. Further many of these same people did not deal with reality when they were outside but instead lived in living hazes of drug and alcohol stupor. Drugs and alcohol were the substance and fabric of their lives.
Hebrews 11:1 says : "Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
You can not touch faith-but faith can touch you. Faith is not seeing and believing. It is believing without seeing. St. Thomas demonstrated lack of faith. He said unless he saw Christ and touched the wounds, he would not believe. God in his mercy met Thomas even in his lack of faith. So Thomas saw the wounds and believed. God even helps our faith sometimes. As one guy in the Bible said: "I believe, help my unbelief."
The essence of faith is believing without seeing. It is a belief in God (i.e. belief that He is) and a belief that he will answer our plea for help. It is belief that Jesus is the son of God and that He came to renew our life. Every Christian funeral involves the belief that God will raise the dead just as He said that He would do and just as He raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Some prisioners believe that faith is too hard. How interesting that faith would be too tough for some tough guys. These same guys employ faith in other areas of their life everyday and in effect require some measure of faith just to continue to make it each day.
For instance, when their mother or wife or daughter says that she loves him and is coming to visit him, the prisoner believes it in faith. So if I were to go to the prisoner and say: "Well, your wife does not really love you, she really hates you but is just coming to visit you out of obligation. She does not really love you because love does not really exist. It is just atoms. There is no true emotion. You are not really loved. You just want to think that someone loves you when there really is no such thing."
If I were to say these evil things, I can assure you that I would have a bunch of very angry prisoners after me.
Yet, irrationally, they are willing to say the same type of evil thing about the love of God for them.
By confessing such a thing they go a long way toward making it not so. Almost. But the grace of God continues to work on them nonetheless just as it did with St. Thomas. God is still stretching out his hands to them.
Does God care about the prisoner as much as He does about the non-prisoner. I believe that the answer is Yes, He does. Is the soul of a prisoner worth as much as the same as a non-prisoner, I believe the answer is that it is worth the same.
In one sense, we are all captives of sin. He came to set the captives free.
Faith, hope and love grow in the rich soil of belief. The tender shoots of faith are destroyed by the hard rocks of doubt and unbelief. It is my prayer that the seeds of belief will begin to spring forth and the waters of the Holy Spirit will cause them to grow and prosper even in our prison system as well as elsewhere.
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