I almost missed the article. It contained a picture of a young girl from India holding a certificate showing that she had changed her name. It didn’t seem like much of a story tucked in the corner of an inside page of the newspaper.
But the story is really heart breaking. You see in the rural poor areas of India girls are considered to be a family liability. Boys are viewed as potential heirs, family heads and wage earners. By contrast girls are a “liability” because their families will have to provide a dowry in order to arrange a marriage for them. The result is female fetuses are systematically aborted.
Or, in the western Maharashtra state, where the language is Marathi, many living girls are given the name “Nakusa”, which means “unwanted.”
Can you imagine being a person with the name “unwanted”? Can you imagine the humiliation, the teasing, the negative self image?
The news story I saw highlighted a young woman named “Nakusa” changing her name, the result of a progressive initiative in Satara state to allow girls named “Nakusa” to change their name. They get official documents and school records are changed. Of course, questions still remain. Is the emotional damage already too great? Will they really get a new life in a culture that insists on remembering the old name? Only time will tell.
Consider this: To a people who had suffered countless indignities: "You shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. . . . You shall no more be called Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married, for the Lord delights in you. . . . And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:2-4 EST)
Know this: You are loved. You are precious. You are wanted! God has given you his family name. You are his beloved child. God smiles when you dance, and live and love. God’s eye twinkles when he thinks about you.
The gift of God’s family name is not to be taken lightly. Carry it with pride.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
November, 2011 Sketchings
“NEW CHAPTERS”
By the time you read this, we will be well into the closing weeks of this chapter of our lives and ministry. We will be well into our community and individual processes of grieving the end of this chapter of life. We will have shed tears, and laughed over precious memories. We will have wished each other well for the time ahead and prayed together for God’s power into the future. But, of course, there will still be other steps before the final words are spoken and the last “farewells” are uttered.
Teresa and I want to express our profound thanks and gratitude for the great honor of walking in ministry with you over these last 6 1 / 2 years. This part of our journey has provided a wonderful time for the growth of our faith. Through you our lives have been richly blessed. You’ve filled our memory bank with golden treasures through ministry, relationships, worship, fellowship and caring. We will always carry you in our hearts and prayers. We will always be thankful to God for this chapter in our lives.
When I am reading a book, I want it to be a “page turner.” That is, I want enough suspense to keep the pages turning, to move me from one chapter to the next. Furthermore, within the suspense I need confidence that the author will continue to develop the plot of the story so that when I read the last page I have a wonderful sense of a complete and whole story.
God is the master author of the story and chapters of human life. God is the master in writing His Story (history) in a way that develops His glory, His grace, and His providence so that in the end it is complete and glorious. God’s story is a “page turner”. There is a fair amount of suspense and intrigue. What will God do next? Sometimes it isn’t clear until a bit later in the story. Sometimes, it takes a while for God to weave a thread of the plot back into the story. But in the end, God’s story is complete and wonderful. And, at the end, we recognize there are many more chapters yet to come.
We, you and I, are standing between chapters in our story, in the story of God’s work in and through our lives. We are here knowing that our God is one who makes things happen. God’s word can bring forth creation. God’s word completes all kinds of things through the lives of people like us. This same God already knows our needs at this point in our stories. The obstacles and barriers we see are not insurmountable to God.
One of the mistakes we humans are prone to make is that we need to have everything in life figured out. We want to know what happens next, we want to know the end of the story. We want to put together a “foolproof” plan that will get us from beginning to ending, no hassle, no problem. But life with God means sitting loose in the saddle with your eye on the ever-changing horizon – looking for hints and clues as to where God wants you to go and what he wants you to do. Life with God means that there is suspense between chapters. Where will this next chapter go?
And here’s one important thought to remember: “God never gives us a task without providing the will and the way to accomplish that task.” He did it with Moses and the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land by providing manna and quails to eat. He did it for Abraham by providing he and Sarah with a son born to them in their old age. Jesus talked about it in parables when he said, “Do not worry. Look at the birds of the air. See how God provides for them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Here’s the deal, as we all start turning the pages into the next chapter of life, ministry, faith and Church, God will not leave us stranded. We will not be left “high and dry”. God will reveal the next step (and all we need to know is the next step). God’s Spirit will empower us with the faith to follow in confidence und God’s leading.
Several have asked what is in store for Teresa and I. Truth is, we aren’t really sure what the next chapter will bring. It is a walk of faith on our parts. Our plans include staying in Omaha so that Teresa can continue to be faithful in her ministry calling with her business. Beyond that, God is working out the details of the next chapter. Teresa and I haven’t ever been at a stage in life where we had the options and freedom to take some time to sort out what ministry God is calling me/us to and how we can best be faithful with the energies and talents God has given. We will do our best to keep you informed.
Blessings as we live between chapters. Blessings as we step in faith to see the “plot” unfold. Blessings! For God is good all the time. All the time God is good!
T. O. M.
By the time you read this, we will be well into the closing weeks of this chapter of our lives and ministry. We will be well into our community and individual processes of grieving the end of this chapter of life. We will have shed tears, and laughed over precious memories. We will have wished each other well for the time ahead and prayed together for God’s power into the future. But, of course, there will still be other steps before the final words are spoken and the last “farewells” are uttered.
Teresa and I want to express our profound thanks and gratitude for the great honor of walking in ministry with you over these last 6 1 / 2 years. This part of our journey has provided a wonderful time for the growth of our faith. Through you our lives have been richly blessed. You’ve filled our memory bank with golden treasures through ministry, relationships, worship, fellowship and caring. We will always carry you in our hearts and prayers. We will always be thankful to God for this chapter in our lives.
When I am reading a book, I want it to be a “page turner.” That is, I want enough suspense to keep the pages turning, to move me from one chapter to the next. Furthermore, within the suspense I need confidence that the author will continue to develop the plot of the story so that when I read the last page I have a wonderful sense of a complete and whole story.
God is the master author of the story and chapters of human life. God is the master in writing His Story (history) in a way that develops His glory, His grace, and His providence so that in the end it is complete and glorious. God’s story is a “page turner”. There is a fair amount of suspense and intrigue. What will God do next? Sometimes it isn’t clear until a bit later in the story. Sometimes, it takes a while for God to weave a thread of the plot back into the story. But in the end, God’s story is complete and wonderful. And, at the end, we recognize there are many more chapters yet to come.
We, you and I, are standing between chapters in our story, in the story of God’s work in and through our lives. We are here knowing that our God is one who makes things happen. God’s word can bring forth creation. God’s word completes all kinds of things through the lives of people like us. This same God already knows our needs at this point in our stories. The obstacles and barriers we see are not insurmountable to God.
One of the mistakes we humans are prone to make is that we need to have everything in life figured out. We want to know what happens next, we want to know the end of the story. We want to put together a “foolproof” plan that will get us from beginning to ending, no hassle, no problem. But life with God means sitting loose in the saddle with your eye on the ever-changing horizon – looking for hints and clues as to where God wants you to go and what he wants you to do. Life with God means that there is suspense between chapters. Where will this next chapter go?
And here’s one important thought to remember: “God never gives us a task without providing the will and the way to accomplish that task.” He did it with Moses and the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land by providing manna and quails to eat. He did it for Abraham by providing he and Sarah with a son born to them in their old age. Jesus talked about it in parables when he said, “Do not worry. Look at the birds of the air. See how God provides for them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Here’s the deal, as we all start turning the pages into the next chapter of life, ministry, faith and Church, God will not leave us stranded. We will not be left “high and dry”. God will reveal the next step (and all we need to know is the next step). God’s Spirit will empower us with the faith to follow in confidence und God’s leading.
Several have asked what is in store for Teresa and I. Truth is, we aren’t really sure what the next chapter will bring. It is a walk of faith on our parts. Our plans include staying in Omaha so that Teresa can continue to be faithful in her ministry calling with her business. Beyond that, God is working out the details of the next chapter. Teresa and I haven’t ever been at a stage in life where we had the options and freedom to take some time to sort out what ministry God is calling me/us to and how we can best be faithful with the energies and talents God has given. We will do our best to keep you informed.
Blessings as we live between chapters. Blessings as we step in faith to see the “plot” unfold. Blessings! For God is good all the time. All the time God is good!
T. O. M.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Theologian Henri Nouwen has written:
“One of the most challenging tasks of the Christian is to create the space where people can meet each other without fear, share the human pains and joys which transcend their differences and discover each other as belonging to the same human family.”
Friday, October 7, 2011
A Record of "Saves":
A couple of weeks ago, Mariano Rivera (originally from Panama) reached a milestone in baseball history when he broke the all-time baseball “saves” record, getting his 602nd save.
If you’re not familiar with the game of baseball, a save is when the game is turned over to a pitcher called a “closer”. It is when the team is leading near the end of the game and the closer comes in to finish up the last inning or two without allowing the opposing team to go ahead and win. The closer is supposed to “seal the deal” and when he does, he gets a “save.” Rivera now has the all time record.
Now, getting a save might not sound like that hard of a deal. It only means pitching for one, or maybe two, innings. But when the game comes down to the last few outs, every pitch counts, every base runner is a potential score, every score is a potential loss then adrenalin kicks in making the art of being a “closer” a tricky one.
Mariano, however, makes his milestone even more unique with the fact that he usually only uses one particular pitch: the cut fastball, or “cutter.” Batters know what's coming—and they still can't hit it!
Rivera, affectionately known as “Mo” by loyal fans and teammates, has a reputation of being self-effacing, quiet, unassuming and thoughtful. In fact, after being congratulated by his team on the field after Monday's record save, he had to be coaxed back onto the mound so the more than 40,000 fans filling Yankee Stadium could applaud him.
During a post-game interview, when asked if he felt he was the greatest closer in MLB history, Mo replied, “I would never say that. You know me better than that, I would never talk about myself.”
Not to be trite, but the best part is that Rivera knows the One who truly saves. The One Whose record for saves could never be broken!
Mo is a born-again Christian; his pitching glove is reportedly inscribed: “Phil. 4:13.” (“I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me”)
In a post-game interview, Mo was asked about the impact of what he's achieved in light of how he grew up; a poor child in Panama. He said, “I couldn't dream about this. It's a tremendous journey. I have to thank God.”
Every week when we confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness we are reminded that we know the one who “saves”, saves us from the ultimate defeat – sin, death and the power of the devil.
If you’re not familiar with the game of baseball, a save is when the game is turned over to a pitcher called a “closer”. It is when the team is leading near the end of the game and the closer comes in to finish up the last inning or two without allowing the opposing team to go ahead and win. The closer is supposed to “seal the deal” and when he does, he gets a “save.” Rivera now has the all time record.
Now, getting a save might not sound like that hard of a deal. It only means pitching for one, or maybe two, innings. But when the game comes down to the last few outs, every pitch counts, every base runner is a potential score, every score is a potential loss then adrenalin kicks in making the art of being a “closer” a tricky one.
Mariano, however, makes his milestone even more unique with the fact that he usually only uses one particular pitch: the cut fastball, or “cutter.” Batters know what's coming—and they still can't hit it!
Rivera, affectionately known as “Mo” by loyal fans and teammates, has a reputation of being self-effacing, quiet, unassuming and thoughtful. In fact, after being congratulated by his team on the field after Monday's record save, he had to be coaxed back onto the mound so the more than 40,000 fans filling Yankee Stadium could applaud him.
During a post-game interview, when asked if he felt he was the greatest closer in MLB history, Mo replied, “I would never say that. You know me better than that, I would never talk about myself.”
Not to be trite, but the best part is that Rivera knows the One who truly saves. The One Whose record for saves could never be broken!
Mo is a born-again Christian; his pitching glove is reportedly inscribed: “Phil. 4:13.” (“I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me”)
In a post-game interview, Mo was asked about the impact of what he's achieved in light of how he grew up; a poor child in Panama. He said, “I couldn't dream about this. It's a tremendous journey. I have to thank God.”
Every week when we confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness we are reminded that we know the one who “saves”, saves us from the ultimate defeat – sin, death and the power of the devil.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
On Brokenness
The concrete contractor was taking a look at her broken up and cracked driveway. She was lamenting the broken state of affairs. The contractor shared this bit of (perhaps obvious) wisdom. “As broken as it is, it still makes a great driveway.”
That sentence could be said about so many things in our lives. As broken as life is, as broken as we are by sin, as broken as the world is, what remains is still something great. We’re blessed by God to live a wonderful life in a wonderful world. We are blessed by God to be partners in God’s work in the broken places. We are blessed with forgiveness so that this life, the only life we have, can be abundant (great!).
So, fill in your own blank: “As broken as it is, it is still a great life, world, job, family, church, school, club, neighborhood --- the list could go on.”
Not that we don’t need to keep on mending the brokenness, certainly that is part of God’s work through our hands. But, at the same time, we need not lose sight of the fact that even in imperfection, what we have is pretty “great” too.
That sentence could be said about so many things in our lives. As broken as life is, as broken as we are by sin, as broken as the world is, what remains is still something great. We’re blessed by God to live a wonderful life in a wonderful world. We are blessed by God to be partners in God’s work in the broken places. We are blessed with forgiveness so that this life, the only life we have, can be abundant (great!).
So, fill in your own blank: “As broken as it is, it is still a great life, world, job, family, church, school, club, neighborhood --- the list could go on.”
Not that we don’t need to keep on mending the brokenness, certainly that is part of God’s work through our hands. But, at the same time, we need not lose sight of the fact that even in imperfection, what we have is pretty “great” too.
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