During our recent vacation, Teresa and I, along with her brother and sister-in-law, were doing some sailing in the Virgin Islands. In so doing we decided to tackle something new – making a bit of an “open water” passage to the island of Anegada. By no means is this passage like crossing the Atlantic, but it is a passage that takes a couple of hours or so during which one is guided only by the compass, with no visible landmarks ahead. (You see, Anegada’s highest land point is only 13 ft above sea level so you can’t see the island until you’re almost there.) Sailing to Anegada is an exercise in trusting the compass, an exercise in being guided by a “truth” that is out of one’s personal control. Along the way, one can encounter unexpected squalls and gusts, ocean surge and rogue waves. It is a time to trust and have faith.
The Bible is full of images that are related to the sea, to storms and open seas. The calming of the storm by Jesus (Mark 4: 35 – 41) is probably the most well known (and it is the theme of our Welcome Center Stained Glass window).
Beyond the Bible, my attention was also drawn to a couple of song choruses that were part of our worship the weekend we returned from our sailing adventures:
“Your Love Never Fails” by Chris Quilala
Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails
Verse:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails
The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails
“You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman
Verse:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
I share this to tell you, that an “open water” sailing adventure opened my spirit to ponder in a new and different way God’s presence, love and care for me – and for you!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Making our Own Music:
In an interview with William Parry, a pianist and composer who got his start in accompanying silent films, the interviewer commented, “That (being a silent film accompanist) must have required great attention. You must have followed the action frame by frame to reflect in the music what the audience was seeing on the screen.”
“Yes,” Parry agreed, “but it also worked the other way. The music I played affected what moviegoers saw.”
He remembered one Charlie Chaplin film, with its trademark blend of humor and pathos, where he could underscore a scene either way. “If I played bright, bouncy tunes, the audience would roar with laughter. But if I accompanied the very same scene with mournful music, handkerchiefs would come out all over the theater.”
I think it is that we go through life, each hearing our own background music. For some it is brisk and stirring, for others it is in a minor key. For some it is full of dissonance, for another melodic and harmonious. The same set of circumstances in two different lives can be handled in different ways – depending on the background music with which one accompanies life.
I know for myself, about a year ago I changed the background music on my radios. With the change to more positive music, I found myself seeing events and circumstances differently. The same can be true of the background “music” of the books we read and the movies we watch and the TV programs that are selected.
In the end, you see, we may not be able to change the circumstances or events of life, but we can change the music to which they are set.
“Yes,” Parry agreed, “but it also worked the other way. The music I played affected what moviegoers saw.”
He remembered one Charlie Chaplin film, with its trademark blend of humor and pathos, where he could underscore a scene either way. “If I played bright, bouncy tunes, the audience would roar with laughter. But if I accompanied the very same scene with mournful music, handkerchiefs would come out all over the theater.”
I think it is that we go through life, each hearing our own background music. For some it is brisk and stirring, for others it is in a minor key. For some it is full of dissonance, for another melodic and harmonious. The same set of circumstances in two different lives can be handled in different ways – depending on the background music with which one accompanies life.
I know for myself, about a year ago I changed the background music on my radios. With the change to more positive music, I found myself seeing events and circumstances differently. The same can be true of the background “music” of the books we read and the movies we watch and the TV programs that are selected.
In the end, you see, we may not be able to change the circumstances or events of life, but we can change the music to which they are set.
Worth Repeating:
“Worship is a weekly opportunity to practice not being God.”
“If we stay away from worship too long, we start to make God into our own image. The privatization of our spiritual journey only transforms God to be virtually anything we want. Once back in the habit and flow of worship, however, and surrounded by a mix of people who don’t mirror every fact of our life, something delightful happens. We discover God to be quietly remaking us into God’s own image. We encounter a rhythm stronger than our heartbeat. We find ourselves full of more joy than we can contain.”
These are the words of Pastor Peter W. Marty from the series “A Lutheran Christian Life for Today” titled “Praise in an awe-deficient world” (The Lutheran; January, 2011, page 3). Marty is Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church of Davenport, IA. You can find Marty’s whole article on the Lutheran Magazine Website.
“If we stay away from worship too long, we start to make God into our own image. The privatization of our spiritual journey only transforms God to be virtually anything we want. Once back in the habit and flow of worship, however, and surrounded by a mix of people who don’t mirror every fact of our life, something delightful happens. We discover God to be quietly remaking us into God’s own image. We encounter a rhythm stronger than our heartbeat. We find ourselves full of more joy than we can contain.”
These are the words of Pastor Peter W. Marty from the series “A Lutheran Christian Life for Today” titled “Praise in an awe-deficient world” (The Lutheran; January, 2011, page 3). Marty is Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church of Davenport, IA. You can find Marty’s whole article on the Lutheran Magazine Website.
Monday, January 24, 2011
February 2011 Sketchings:
“A ‘Quick Start’ Guide”
I’m a man, for goodness sake, so I tend to not want to have much to do with “Owner Manuals”. I tend to not take time to read the directions and I ignore instructions.
I really like the “Quick Start Guides” that come with most gadgets these days. Usually they are only a few pages, a fraction of the size and complexity of the full manual. In a few easy steps on can find out all one needs to know to set up and operate fancy equipment without digging through all the details of a think manual.
“Just tell me what I know to get this thing going!” The Quick Start Guide is just the ticket as far as I’m concerned.
A “Quick Start Guide” to faith could be a good thing too. Of course, we have the full manual for faith and our relationship with God – it’s called “The Bible”. But what are the few basics that lay a foundation to get things headed in the right direction and help keep my relationship with Jesus on track?
These “marks of discipleship” might serve for our “Quick Start Guide” to faith:
1) Worship. Weekly worship of God in the community of faith is essential for our faith. In the community we are encouraged by and offer encouragement to other worshipers, humans/sinners just like us. In worship we let God know that we believe God is “worthy” of honor, praise and our undivided attention for a while. You see, worship isn’t about us. Worship is all about God and the prayer, praise and thanksgiving we bring to God. The Psalmist said, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4)
2) Pray. Prayer is a deep conversation with God. Prayer is the way in which we build a relationship with God, just like we build a relationship with another human through sharing and conversation. Taking time, even short moments of time, to pray deepens our sense of God’s presence and gives God some time to reveal God’s self to us. Prayer isn’t just our telling God what we want, need, think, but pausing in silence to give God a chance to “speak” with us.
3) Bible Study and Devotion. Sometimes, the “quick start guide” doesn’t give me enough information and I have to turn to the full manual. The same is true in our faith. We’ve got to dig into the Bible, the Word of God, to find directions for the bigger picture in life. The use of daily devotional booklets, like “Our Daily Bread”, coupled with a time of reflection and Bible reading open our spirits for deeper insights into God’s grace and love and calling upon our lives. A program of “reading through the Bible in a Year” (i.e. http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/) is one way to create the discipline of reading.
4) Generosity. Generosity with our resources, time and money, is one of the ways in which we are able to put life in perspective. In generosity we make a statement that we are not the center of the universe. God is the center. God is the provider. God owner of everything and simply gifts us with what we want to call our own. In generosity, we return to God portions of what is already God’s to give evidence to our sense that life is a gift for which we have deep thanks and for which we are deeply grateful. The biggest temptation is always to take care of ourselves first and bring God what is left – if anything. The basic principle here, though, is to be generous with God first (in worship, in prayer, in Bible Reading and devotion and in sharing of time and money). It is to recognize God’s ownership by first returning to God what is God’s already. What we want to say is “I don’t have the time/money.” The truth is we don’t have anything, all of it is already God’s. So by first being generous by returning to God a portion of our blessings, we always have it, it is always readily available. From there God is able to bless His abundance into the rest of life. It is like the popular routine of how many rocks and pebbles will fit into a container. If one starts with the little pebbles, there isn’t room for the big rocks. But if one starts with the big rocks (the most important things – the basis of generosity) there is always room for much more than one might expect of the smaller rocks and pebbles.
I like the idea of a “Quick Start Guide.” I like the idea of some simple steps to deepen my walk with Jesus.
I’m praying for God’s full abundance to, as we walk the walk of faith in 2011, as we enjoy the wonders of God’s baptismal grace”
T. O. M.
I’m a man, for goodness sake, so I tend to not want to have much to do with “Owner Manuals”. I tend to not take time to read the directions and I ignore instructions.
I really like the “Quick Start Guides” that come with most gadgets these days. Usually they are only a few pages, a fraction of the size and complexity of the full manual. In a few easy steps on can find out all one needs to know to set up and operate fancy equipment without digging through all the details of a think manual.
“Just tell me what I know to get this thing going!” The Quick Start Guide is just the ticket as far as I’m concerned.
A “Quick Start Guide” to faith could be a good thing too. Of course, we have the full manual for faith and our relationship with God – it’s called “The Bible”. But what are the few basics that lay a foundation to get things headed in the right direction and help keep my relationship with Jesus on track?
These “marks of discipleship” might serve for our “Quick Start Guide” to faith:
1) Worship. Weekly worship of God in the community of faith is essential for our faith. In the community we are encouraged by and offer encouragement to other worshipers, humans/sinners just like us. In worship we let God know that we believe God is “worthy” of honor, praise and our undivided attention for a while. You see, worship isn’t about us. Worship is all about God and the prayer, praise and thanksgiving we bring to God. The Psalmist said, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4)
2) Pray. Prayer is a deep conversation with God. Prayer is the way in which we build a relationship with God, just like we build a relationship with another human through sharing and conversation. Taking time, even short moments of time, to pray deepens our sense of God’s presence and gives God some time to reveal God’s self to us. Prayer isn’t just our telling God what we want, need, think, but pausing in silence to give God a chance to “speak” with us.
3) Bible Study and Devotion. Sometimes, the “quick start guide” doesn’t give me enough information and I have to turn to the full manual. The same is true in our faith. We’ve got to dig into the Bible, the Word of God, to find directions for the bigger picture in life. The use of daily devotional booklets, like “Our Daily Bread”, coupled with a time of reflection and Bible reading open our spirits for deeper insights into God’s grace and love and calling upon our lives. A program of “reading through the Bible in a Year” (i.e. http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/) is one way to create the discipline of reading.
4) Generosity. Generosity with our resources, time and money, is one of the ways in which we are able to put life in perspective. In generosity we make a statement that we are not the center of the universe. God is the center. God is the provider. God owner of everything and simply gifts us with what we want to call our own. In generosity, we return to God portions of what is already God’s to give evidence to our sense that life is a gift for which we have deep thanks and for which we are deeply grateful. The biggest temptation is always to take care of ourselves first and bring God what is left – if anything. The basic principle here, though, is to be generous with God first (in worship, in prayer, in Bible Reading and devotion and in sharing of time and money). It is to recognize God’s ownership by first returning to God what is God’s already. What we want to say is “I don’t have the time/money.” The truth is we don’t have anything, all of it is already God’s. So by first being generous by returning to God a portion of our blessings, we always have it, it is always readily available. From there God is able to bless His abundance into the rest of life. It is like the popular routine of how many rocks and pebbles will fit into a container. If one starts with the little pebbles, there isn’t room for the big rocks. But if one starts with the big rocks (the most important things – the basis of generosity) there is always room for much more than one might expect of the smaller rocks and pebbles.
I like the idea of a “Quick Start Guide.” I like the idea of some simple steps to deepen my walk with Jesus.
I’m praying for God’s full abundance to, as we walk the walk of faith in 2011, as we enjoy the wonders of God’s baptismal grace”
T. O. M.
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