I Care

As an advocate for positive language, respectful discourse and compassion for others, it is certainly difficult to find any redeeming value in all that is going on lately.   Cynicism of politics, government and religion is rampant and understandably so, but I refuse to give up on humanity because, I am a Jesus Follower and I care.   

As a good friend pointed out, we need only look to the prophet Micah (6: 8 NIV) for words of consolation and restoration.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy 

and to walk humbly with your God.

In the days following all the partisan bickering in Washington, the unfavorable reaction of global investors and the populace’s opinion that politicians have become totally inept and ineffective to essentially govern, I heard the term ‘reset’.   The term was used to describe a possible coming societal shift and an ever deepening divide among people.  I also had a friend of mine say, “None of it matters; no ones opinion matters. Who cares?” I care.  

I care that since 2008 the world’s been suffering effects of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.  Now, almost 4 years on, economies worldwide are on very shaky ground.  Some European nations are dealing with the inability to pay their debts and America inches closer by the day to becoming known as the United States of Austerity.  Our financial house is, without a doubt, in desperate need of attention, but as any train engineer will tell you, you can’t suddenly brake a speeding train without many cars derailing from the tracks.

I care that since the end of World War II the western world has prospered, but we seem to be taking it for granted.  People in the industrialized world have, for the most part, never had to worry about where their next meal was going to come from or whether the water would flow out of the faucet or if the lights would come on at the flick of a switch.  We are a spoiled society in relation to what individuals endured during the Great Depression and the Second World War.  Economic despair in Europe led to war and plunged that continent into destruction because of, almost exclusively, an evil deranged despot who seized on the fears and vulnerabilities of a desperate populace. 

I care that America has forgotten how to solve its problems.  We have become a consumer based nation with no drive to create, erect or build.  We’re very efficient at making weaponry, fast food and basic consumer products.  Real industrialization has vanished from our shores.  Collective growth and prosperity for all is a thing of the past.  Without a doubt our roads, our bridges, our schools, our public works systems, our power grid are all virtually crumbling before our eyes and we don’t seem to be bothered by it in the slightest.  

I care that the mentality of “I’ve got mine and to hell with everyone else” is not just driving us into a ditch, but off a cliff.  People need work and to feel a sense of worth again.  Not to mention, soldiers are beginning to return home and they too are in many cases looking for work.  Why are we not interested in putting people to work? Why are politicians on the right and the left only worried about themselves and their next election cycle?  What happened to the ability of those with differing views being able to come together with a realistic and sensible consensus?  Why can’t we talk to one another and listen; respectfully listen and seek to learn something to better ourselves? 

I care because as a student of politics and history I realize that economic chaos can serve as the opportune moment for fringe elements of society and extremist political ideologies to pounce on the naïve and the downtrodden.   Sadly, religion, all too often is used to foster extremism for political expediency. 

I care that so many people don’t recognize our vulnerability to acts of evil by those among us claiming allegiances in God’s name.  These fiendish opportunists and those who set them alight with their words claim fervently they are something that in reality they are not.  We saw this most recently in Norway with a violent outburst and loss of life at the hands of a deranged individual feeding off vitriolic hate speech.  In his mind the Christian world is under threat from non-Christian undesirables and they’re the reason for the world’s problems.  This is an insane echo of the not too distant past.

So yes, ‘reset’ is coming and I pray it will come from those who care.  There are good positive people among us who care.   We must be aware of the history that tends to repeat itself again and again and recognize that voices of reason, of real meaningful compromise, of respectful discourse, of truth, of compassion, and of love will ALWAYS prevail.  This is what I believe. As a Jesus Follower this is what I care about.   We must tune out the voices of discontent, the voices of hate, the voices of cynicism, the voices of ‘my way or the highway’, the voices of exploitative opportunism, the voices of disrespect, the voices of charlatans and the voices that do not speak the truth.   

So to close, I will answer my friend’s claim, by saying that in the face of it all, opinions do matter.  Those of us who do care must speak out with truth and positive optimism for all walking humbly with God.  It will make a difference. 

I care.  Do you?

   

Peace,
Ray

Who Was The Centurion?

MATTHEW 8: 5-13

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

This past Sunday's sermon was about the faith of the Roman centurion.  I thought afterwards about the interesting question: 

Who was this centurion?

I did some easy research on Wikipedia and found out that in the army of Rome, a centurion was a professional soldier; a commander of usually around 100 men.  Men were sometimes promoted, elected or appointed to the position of centurion; a very commanding rank.  They were known to be literate individuals who had established themselves very well within the ranks.  These respected men were usually battle tested as they led their men not from the rear, but from the front.  They had a reputation for being hard-nosed ruthless disciplinarians. 

Why did this man of Rome beg for Jesus’ help?  What caused him to be so humble in Jesus' presence and call him, Lord?  What was this man's religious upbringing?  In the Roman world the emperor was God; Lord.  What had he heard or seen that caused him to reach out to this Jewish man?  The centurion was surely knowledgeable enough of the goings on within the community that he recognized the radical nature of Jesus and his politically charged actions and message.

The centurion must have been keen enough to know the repercussions of his actions.  He must have been aware that seeking the help of a man openly ridiculed and criticized by the Jewish religious leaders was indeed a very risky prospect.  He surely knew his reputation within the Roman community would be called into question once word of his actions reached his superior officers, not to mention the leaders in Rome.  What caused this Roman to take such a high risk and do it, in what is presented in the scripture, as a very open and more importantly, faithful appeal?  What caused him to risk his military career and place in Roman society by reaching out to Jesus and calling him Lord?  The centurion had effectively denounced the lord of Rome, his leader, his emperor. 

Did the centurion see Jesus perform a miracle?  Had he heard of his deeds through word of mouth; rumblings from within the community?  Perhaps something happened to him on the battlefield.  Had he seen him interacting with the disciples or did he have some other connection or knowledge of Jesus unknown to us?  It's truly an intriguing question as to the reason why the Roman centurion would profess such profound faith in a man who was his complete societal opposite.  A man of war and ruthlessness was reaching out for Jesus, a man of peace and compassion.  

Recognizing Jesus as Lord is the most important element of this encounter.  I wonder what happened to the centurion when he returned to his duty post?  Did he resign his position, become a Jesus Follower at that very moment and spread the news of what had happened to him because of his faith?  Did he carry his faith back to Rome and continue on as a centurion bringing other Roman men to recognize the one true Lord?

All of these are questions we don't know the answers to, but it is interesting to contemplate the rest of the story and relate it to our daily lives.  Sometimes we're faced with situations where only our faith will get us through.  Knowing that someone as powerful and important as the Roman centurion was able to reach out to Jesus and, for whatever reason, recognize him as his Lord is very reassuring for us in today's modern world.  

Would you have been willing to risk your position, your reputation, your freedom and who knows what else just as the centurion did?  I pray that I would have the courage and the faith to do so.

Peace,

Ray

Some news to share soon...

Hello friends and readers!
Have been busy and neglecting this space.  All is well.  Some news to share soon.  Hope everyone is doing well and trying to stay cool.  It's been very hot here.  
Peace,
Ray

Love Unparalled

View from I-68 at Sideling Hill, near Hancock, Maryland

Greetings all!  Been away for a bit. 
Kim, Gabe and I spent July 4th weekend in southwestern Pennsylvania for a big family reunion party.  We had a great time and Gabe enjoyed himself.  Hard to believe he turned 10 months old this week.

Of course I've been wondering what to write about during the time away.  I think I know what I have to share as I've been thinking about it off and on since last week.

Several weeks ago, Kim made a brightly colored wreath for our front door.  On our front porch we have some hanging plants that birds are constantly trying to build homes in or roost in for the night.  Over the course of several days the birds realized that the newly hung wreath would potentially be a nice place to roost.  We'd open the door and hear the quick fluttering of a bird streaking away.  Then on Thursday last week as Kim was leaving the house with Gabe, a bird zipped skyward as she exited.   The little bird began squawking and swooping back toward the door.  Kim got Gabe settled and then made up her mind to take the wreath down so the birds would leave it alone.  As she began to remove the wreath from the door she happened to notice a bit of twig and grass thinking to herself that indeed the bird was beginning to build a home.  As she brought the wreath away from the door to lay it in one of the porch chairs, to her amazement, an entire compacted tiny nest with a couple of baby bird eggs inside suddenly fell out. The brightly colored eggs dropped out of the nest and broke open as they impacted against the porch.  Kim was devastated.  I received her call at work to relay the story of what had just transpired.  Kim, a caring and devoted mother of our beautiful son, was so very sympathetic, saddened and remorseful of what had happened.

As I've thought about what happened to Kim and the baby bird eggs I thought too about the sad and tragic story of  little Caylee Anthony, her mother Casey and the parents.  I realize how very blessed I am to have such a loving wife who cares so deeply for our son.  Kim's motherly love caused her sadness over the accidental loss of those baby bird eggs that fell out of the wreath when she removed it from our door.  We may never know what befell the little Anthony girl, but we must pray for her now restful peace and for the much needed peace for an obviously very troubled family. 

Then early this week I heard a story about where a visitor to Yellowstone Park was killed by a bear.  In this very rare occurrence, a man got to close to some baby bear cubs and the mother reacted, mauling the man to death.  The bear naturally protected her young just as the little bird was doing as it swooped down on Kim at our front door. 

I believe these stories have important things to tell us and somehow they have connections that we ought to contemplate and reflect upon.  I have to wonder how Caylee's mom would have felt at causing baby bird eggs to be broken.  What if she was protective as the mother bird or the mother bear?

I don't claim to know or have any answers, but what I do know is this:

-I've seen a mother's unparalleled love.
 
-Life is precious.
-Bad things happen in the world, but...
God's unwavering grace and everlasting love are forever constant.

Thanks be to God.




I've always loved this great tune by Bob Marley.  Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIjkW6iyXNo&feature=related

Have a peaceful weekend!
-Ray 

Live!

The below question was generated via a question from my good friend author, Derek Maul.  The story here was my response.

Do you live into your potentiality as a child of God... 
living as you were created to live? 

Add caption

At this past spring's retreat one of our guest speakers had to leave before he thought he had to.   He'd intended on Saturday to do 2 sessions before heading back to see about someone in the hospital, but a lengthy, intense and much needed discussion prevented the second session. 

As we broke from lunch to enjoy some free time, a good friend of mine, one of several clergy in attendance, walked with me passing the clanging of the beginnings of the horse shoe pitching contest.  He mentioned to me how disappointed he was that our presenter, a close and familiar colleague, had not the opportunity to finish up as he'd intended.  My friend explained how because of his knowledge of where his colleague's presentation was most likely going in it's second half, that it was a shame that it wouldn't be presented.  I too had expressed my disappointment and took the opportunity to engage our retreat's other presenter.  I then beckoned for my friend to come join our conversation and asked him to share again what he'd explained to me a few moments earlier.  Our first presenter listened intently.  He was very intrigued and agreed that it would be very unfair to the men gathered to not give them a chance to hear where the presentation should have gone. 

So, our first presenter asked my friend and personal pastor to do as he suggested; finish the presentation out.  Once given the green light to proceed, he asked me for my bible and then began immediately making notations and writing out a brief outline of what he'd speak about.  As my friend came forward he explained how he felt he needed to make sure we understood he wasn't putting words in his colleague's mouth or claiming to be anywhere near the caliber of a speaker, but he felt compelled to try and finish what was started. 

I sat amongst the men and watched my friend speak from the heart and began to smile as a listened.  Then he made a concluding comment that gave me full knowledge that what I'd just experienced and seen, from the time of our initial conversation to this comment, "It would be wonderful if all congregations could all be like you all in this room".  He'd made that statement because of the intense respectful discourse that had transpired earlier in the day and how our weekend was focusing on how we men of the church were beginning to realize the importance of doing something different, to not be afraid of change, to come into the 21st century and be Jesus Followers. 

Creek scene near Northern VA 4-H Ctr., Front Royal

The moment was intense because of some issues my friend had been dealing with.  I saw him exhibit his God given gift of pastoral care in bringing a message, in this case picking up where someone else left off, his energy was such that I'd not seen him that inspired and moved in months. 

I told this story the following Tuesday over the phone to the presenter who'd had to leave early.  He was quiet as I said concluding, "Again, I'm real sorry that you had to leave", to which he quickly answered, "No, no...you don't understand...I was meant to leave.  I just got goosebumps from what you've told me.  Our friend needed that and the Holy Spirit was there to make it happen.  A true God moment!"  So...I must say my friend was the embodiment of living into full potentiality, living as he was created to live.  Living to capacity?  I don't know...I think there's more from where that came from!

Peace,
Ray

The First Step

Pastors Greg Ott, Marvin Zaldivar and translator

At the end of April men from the regions of Virginia and the Capitol Area of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) came together for a weekend of retreat and fellowship and took the first step.  The weekend came to a close with the men conducting a brief vespers service where we asked ourselves the question, "Where did you see God during the weekend?"

What transpired at the conclusion of the vespers no one could have imagined.  As our group began preparing themselves mentally for departure from the picturesque Front Royal, Virginia mountain setting, we asked them to leave the conference room and process outside onto the hillside just behind the beautiful Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center. There we would partake in the sharing of bread and cup; a closing communion to send us on our way.

Also gathered that weekend at the 4-H center were members of Iglesia Los Hechos Mission from Manassas, Virginia (Church of Acts Mission Manassas) http://www.iglesialoshechos.com .

They described themselves as an evangelical Christian group.  The group was made up of men and women of all ages from Mexico and other areas of Central America, but primarily they young people; many young children with their parents.  The group was relatively the same size as ours numbering approximately 80.  The group like ours had come to retreat and fellowship together in the beauty of the Front Royal area.

We encountered them each time we dined together in the cafeteria of the retreat center.  That's where I struck up a conversation with their Pastor, Marvin Zaldivar who told me a little bit about himself and the church he helped start within the confines of his home basement.  Now, four years later, the church was meeting in a space they rented from a Baptist church in Northern Virginia.  I took the opportunity to introduce Pastor Marvin to several of the clergy within our group.

At breakfast on Sunday I pulled Marvin aside to ask him what his groups plan for the morning was.  I explained that the men would be conducting the short vespers followed by communion and that we'd very much like it and be honored if they would join us on the hillside and share in the holy meal.  Pastor Marvin said that the group would very much like to join us and that they had even discussed amongst themselves how moving it might be to share some time with us.  Once on the hillside, our group began to form a large circle.  Once formed the people of Iglesia Los Hechos Mission came down and joined the circle. 

Earlier, I'd asked my friend, Pastor, Greg Ott if he would conduct the communion service.  Greg and only a handful of other men from our group knew that the two groups would be sharing communion together.  Pastor Marvin joined Greg in the center of the circle as well as a young man who agreed to act as translator for the fellowship time. The words of institution and prayers for bread and cup were all done alternately in Spanish and in English.  But the acts were in a universal language.

 There on that hillside a group of Jesus Followers came together to partake in an act that transcends language, culture and ethnicity.  By intinction they all came forward singing praises of emotion and thanksgiving.  At communion's conclusion, hugs, hugs and more hugs were shared.  Conversations lingered as our time of retreat concluded.  Many tears were shed as the two groups dispersed.

One man said to me that this was the first step.  In light of our conversation and discussions during our fellowship time over the weekend I had to agree that the men gathered recognized that this loving act of hospitality and spirituality that we had just shared was the first step of many for men of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and other mainline denominational men.  We must be open to receiving the movement of the Holy Spirit and be cognizant of the compassion and love of following in those first footsteps of example given to us by a man over 2000 years ago.  Jesus was present on the hillside with us smiling with joy.  So, did I see God during the weekend?  You bet I did.

Being together with those people that morning was one of the most humbling and spiritually moving experiences I've ever been a part of.   As I think about my first Father's Day this weekend I think about the day when I can proudly and excitedly share this story, the first of many, with my son.  

Happy Father's Day!
Peace,
Ray

Enjoy the Next Few Minutes Smiling!

Optimism...

this is what I feel compelled to share with you my readers.  As a Jesus Follower, a Disciple of Christ, I feel it my calling to share uplifting stories and ideas and pose questions around issues and controversial topics that will hopefully bring about positive discussion.

There's been a few things lately that I've been giving much thought too regarding church.  It's amazing how God, our parent, has a way of interjecting instances into our lives to give us what we need, when we need it.  That's what happened to me this week.  All I needed to do was think about my son, Gabe and the simplistic joy that oozes from him whenever he smiles is infectious.  I have found myself smiling as I walk down the hall of his daycare facility in preparation of picking him up for the ride home.  It's truly amazing how he can lift my spirits.  I pray that his happiness and positive demeanor grows everyday with him.  I sense a spirit of optimism in him.  As his father, I am committed to teaching him to grow his happiness into a life of powerful positive action in whatever he decides to do in life. Growing up, I can remember how negative and pessimistic I used to be.  Optimism can be an amazing thing.

This week I heard how a city responded to pessimism and negative media publicity.  As I watched the attached 9+ minute video I found myself wanting more, smiling more and more in reaction to it.  If you watch it and don't smile, well...I don't really know how you can do that...honestly, I don't.

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy the next few minutes smiling! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjjZCO67WI