Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
Today is my birthday.
I came into the YMCA to a nice birthday banner on the wall outside my office, glitter sprinkles on the floor and a nice happy birthday sign in my office. I have received many nice birthday wishes, and inquiries about what I might be doing on this special day.
It is nice to be thought of, it is nice to be loved.
I have never been good about receiving compliments or having attention directed my way, it makes me uncomfortable. I guess it stems from my childhood. It seems that when I got attention at school or from adults it wasn’t the attention I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a bad kid, but I wasn’t a saint as well. All these years later, I still feel uncomfortable with attention. As the day progressed I gradually became more comfortable with the, “Happy Birthday, what are you going to do today?” well wishes.
Birthdays are funny things.
People make a special attempt to say hi, and to let you know they are thinking of you.
Too bad that birthdays are only once per year. Now I will have to wait another year for the well wishes to come. I will have to wait another year and be uncomfortable all over again, only to gain comfort as the day progresses.
How cool would it be if we could be that attentive every day?
I watch people coming and going all the time. And for the most of it we live in our little bubbles, going along never really noticing the other person. Pretty soon these other persons stop being other people and they become other things. We stop seeing them as people and start seeing them as a color, a worldview, an ethnic group…they stop being a person and only become a label. We might as well all be pickle jars with different labels.
I can see why groups of people come into conflict with each other. It is because they are no longer groups of people but because they become pickle jars, and see only that the label on the other jar is different.
The birthday question that I have for today is, “Why do we spend most of our lives as pickles and only see people as people one day per year?”
Why can’t we show people more of the Love of Christ, and less of the Wrath of God?
Let us do what God commands us to do:
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22-34-39
And let God be in charge of His own Wrath.
Lord, on my birthday give me Your eyes, Your ears, Your mouth, Your heart. Give me the courage and endurance to do your greatest commandment. Please rebuke me when I think I am the one to dispense your wrath. Remind me of my job, and not let me try to do yours.
Blessings,
My Book
Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The mole hill of the mind
Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
I was sitting on my front porch the other morning.
As the sun started to come up and illuminate the front yard I noticed a mole hill.
I looked at this mole hill with amazement. I wondered where it came from.
As I looked around I did not see any other mole hills nearby. How did it get there?
Did the mole dig underground for a very long way just to make a mole hill in my yard?
Did it risk running over the top of the ground for a long way just to dig a hole in my yard.
I contemplated this for a long time.
Eventually, I knew that I would have to get rid of the mole hill, along with the mole that made this mole hill. I was torn by this thought, but knew that I would have to get rid of this mole or I would end up with many mole hills in my yard.
I had witnessed this phenomenon before.
On my drive to the YCMA I pass a number of homes that started with a mole hill, they did nothing and eventually their entire yard was full of mounds and corresponding holes.
I left for the “Y” that morning with every intention of getting rid of that mole when I got home. But the day got in the way. I came home late and had totally forgotten about the mole and his hill.
The next morning I walked out onto my front porch to find six new hills.
I resolved myself to get rid of that mole, or moles that night when I got home.
But the day got in the way, I got home late and hadn’t even thought about the mole and his hills.
I walked out onto my porch the following morning and my yard was full of mole hills, now my yard looked just like those other yards that I drove past on my way to the YMCA.
I sat in my chair, on my front porch, in total shock and amazement.
How did this happen?
Then a still small voice said, “Your yard is a lot like the mind. An abhorrent thought comes across your mind, and you say, ‘I shouldn’t be thinking this. Yet don’t do anything about it. The thought eventually leaves and you forget about it. Later, that thought comes back into your head a little stronger, you think about it longer, and you say to yourself, ‘I shouldn’t be thinking about this.’ Yet you don’t do anything about it. A little later that thought is in your head full on and you think, ‘how did this go so far?’ Your yard is not so different than your thought life. If you don’t take care of it, your thought life will be full of mole hills too.”
My prayer is that we take care of the yard of our minds. That we take the time getting rid of the little mole hills before our minds become infested with dirt. Lord, please help us and remind us that you are there to talk with, to contemplate with keep or thoughts on the things above and not of earthly things.
Paul once wrote, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:1-2
Blessings,
I pray the day finds you well.
I was sitting on my front porch the other morning.
As the sun started to come up and illuminate the front yard I noticed a mole hill.
I looked at this mole hill with amazement. I wondered where it came from.
As I looked around I did not see any other mole hills nearby. How did it get there?
Did the mole dig underground for a very long way just to make a mole hill in my yard?
Did it risk running over the top of the ground for a long way just to dig a hole in my yard.
I contemplated this for a long time.
Eventually, I knew that I would have to get rid of the mole hill, along with the mole that made this mole hill. I was torn by this thought, but knew that I would have to get rid of this mole or I would end up with many mole hills in my yard.
I had witnessed this phenomenon before.
On my drive to the YCMA I pass a number of homes that started with a mole hill, they did nothing and eventually their entire yard was full of mounds and corresponding holes.
I left for the “Y” that morning with every intention of getting rid of that mole when I got home. But the day got in the way. I came home late and had totally forgotten about the mole and his hill.
The next morning I walked out onto my front porch to find six new hills.
I resolved myself to get rid of that mole, or moles that night when I got home.
But the day got in the way, I got home late and hadn’t even thought about the mole and his hills.
I walked out onto my porch the following morning and my yard was full of mole hills, now my yard looked just like those other yards that I drove past on my way to the YMCA.
I sat in my chair, on my front porch, in total shock and amazement.
How did this happen?
Then a still small voice said, “Your yard is a lot like the mind. An abhorrent thought comes across your mind, and you say, ‘I shouldn’t be thinking this. Yet don’t do anything about it. The thought eventually leaves and you forget about it. Later, that thought comes back into your head a little stronger, you think about it longer, and you say to yourself, ‘I shouldn’t be thinking about this.’ Yet you don’t do anything about it. A little later that thought is in your head full on and you think, ‘how did this go so far?’ Your yard is not so different than your thought life. If you don’t take care of it, your thought life will be full of mole hills too.”
My prayer is that we take care of the yard of our minds. That we take the time getting rid of the little mole hills before our minds become infested with dirt. Lord, please help us and remind us that you are there to talk with, to contemplate with keep or thoughts on the things above and not of earthly things.
Paul once wrote, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:1-2
Blessings,
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Ten minutes I will never give back
Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
I was late getting to the YMCA this morning.
I was running late, I started to drive down the little road that takes me to the big road that takes me to the YMCA and there was Marvin and Priscilla. Marvin is 88 years-old, and moves really slowly. Priscilla, Marvin’s dog must be 105 years-old (in dog years) and moves even slower. There I was, sitting in my car on the little road by my house waiting. It can take Marvin five minutes to cross the road, it can take Priscilla even longer, she needs to stop, sit, and rest halfway through.
The thought came to me, “Well here is ten minutes that I will never get back.”
I was running late because I was finding it hard to get out of bed this morning. Not because I was tired or just didn’t feel like getting up, my back was acting up. I found it hard to move. I don’t know why. My back pain is a lot like those traffic jams you get into. You sit for a long time inching your way through, when you get to the end of the jam there is nothing there and traffic is moving just fine. You know something happened, you just don’t know what. It took me a while to slide out of bed, trying not to do the wrong thing that would cause the invisible man to stab me in the back again, with whatever it was he had. I hobble into the bathroom and attempt a shower. The shower part went ok, The whole drying off thing was another adventure. We have a lodge style house and a lodge style house has a lodge style bathroom. A lodge style bathroom must have lodge style fluffy towels with stitching of bears, deer, elk…on them. These lodge style towels live on the bottom shelf of the vanity. Normally this is a great place to have them. This morning, not so much. I started to wish I had opposable big toes like a chimp. I could just stand there and pick up a towel without bending over. I even tried to train my toes , no luck. Eventually I got a towel, only to figure out that I had air-dried in the process. Trying to get dressed turned into a math problem. My arms are only so long, I can bend my back only so far, and I can only raise my legs so high, none of which was enough to get my feet into my pants. I start doing static load comps in my head. Cos divided by theta, or is it sin times theta? This is why I’m a chaplain and not an engineer. It took some time but I finally got dressed. I got my stuff and out the door I went.
I was sitting there watching Marvin and Priscilla cross the road, feeling slightly annoyed.
Then I remembered something I had read. It was a story about a guy who had been mugged and left for dead on the side of the road. People would walk by, but they would not stop to help. Eventually this one guy from out of town stops and helps the man. He even pays for his doctor. It is an amazing story. Not just because he helped him, but because he saw him in the first place, really saw him.
Marvin’s wife had died years ago. His son moved his company far away and doesn’t come to visit anymore. All Marvin has is Priscilla. Marvin doesn’t want help crossing the road. Marvin just wants someone to visit with. I get out of the car and talk with Marvin. Eventually both Marvin and Priscilla made it to the side of the road. Eventually I managed to get back into my car.
As I drove to the YMCA this morning, I thought about Marvin. I thought about Priscilla. I thought about the Good Samaritan. We do not have to wait for a big thing to happen before we can be good Samaritans. We have the opportunity everyday to see people, really see them. We have the opportunity everyday to positively impact a person’s life. If our boss asks for something, give it to them, obviously they need it. If a member needs some help, help them with a smile on our face. There are many opportunities to Be Christ’s hands and feet every day. We just need to see the opportunity He is giving us.
Instead of thinking, “This is ten minutes I will never get back.” I would rather think, “This is ten minutes I would never GIVE back.
Blessings,
I pray the day finds you well.
I was late getting to the YMCA this morning.
I was running late, I started to drive down the little road that takes me to the big road that takes me to the YMCA and there was Marvin and Priscilla. Marvin is 88 years-old, and moves really slowly. Priscilla, Marvin’s dog must be 105 years-old (in dog years) and moves even slower. There I was, sitting in my car on the little road by my house waiting. It can take Marvin five minutes to cross the road, it can take Priscilla even longer, she needs to stop, sit, and rest halfway through.
The thought came to me, “Well here is ten minutes that I will never get back.”
I was running late because I was finding it hard to get out of bed this morning. Not because I was tired or just didn’t feel like getting up, my back was acting up. I found it hard to move. I don’t know why. My back pain is a lot like those traffic jams you get into. You sit for a long time inching your way through, when you get to the end of the jam there is nothing there and traffic is moving just fine. You know something happened, you just don’t know what. It took me a while to slide out of bed, trying not to do the wrong thing that would cause the invisible man to stab me in the back again, with whatever it was he had. I hobble into the bathroom and attempt a shower. The shower part went ok, The whole drying off thing was another adventure. We have a lodge style house and a lodge style house has a lodge style bathroom. A lodge style bathroom must have lodge style fluffy towels with stitching of bears, deer, elk…on them. These lodge style towels live on the bottom shelf of the vanity. Normally this is a great place to have them. This morning, not so much. I started to wish I had opposable big toes like a chimp. I could just stand there and pick up a towel without bending over. I even tried to train my toes , no luck. Eventually I got a towel, only to figure out that I had air-dried in the process. Trying to get dressed turned into a math problem. My arms are only so long, I can bend my back only so far, and I can only raise my legs so high, none of which was enough to get my feet into my pants. I start doing static load comps in my head. Cos divided by theta, or is it sin times theta? This is why I’m a chaplain and not an engineer. It took some time but I finally got dressed. I got my stuff and out the door I went.
I was sitting there watching Marvin and Priscilla cross the road, feeling slightly annoyed.
Then I remembered something I had read. It was a story about a guy who had been mugged and left for dead on the side of the road. People would walk by, but they would not stop to help. Eventually this one guy from out of town stops and helps the man. He even pays for his doctor. It is an amazing story. Not just because he helped him, but because he saw him in the first place, really saw him.
Marvin’s wife had died years ago. His son moved his company far away and doesn’t come to visit anymore. All Marvin has is Priscilla. Marvin doesn’t want help crossing the road. Marvin just wants someone to visit with. I get out of the car and talk with Marvin. Eventually both Marvin and Priscilla made it to the side of the road. Eventually I managed to get back into my car.
As I drove to the YMCA this morning, I thought about Marvin. I thought about Priscilla. I thought about the Good Samaritan. We do not have to wait for a big thing to happen before we can be good Samaritans. We have the opportunity everyday to see people, really see them. We have the opportunity everyday to positively impact a person’s life. If our boss asks for something, give it to them, obviously they need it. If a member needs some help, help them with a smile on our face. There are many opportunities to Be Christ’s hands and feet every day. We just need to see the opportunity He is giving us.
Instead of thinking, “This is ten minutes I will never get back.” I would rather think, “This is ten minutes I would never GIVE back.
Blessings,
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
I see from my house by the side of the road
Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
Those who press with the ardors of hope,
and others who faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears—
Both parts of an infinite plan.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be the friend I can.
Sam Walter Foss
We have finished the remodel of our YMCA. My office is right next to the welcome center, people call my office the fish bowl. My office has a lot of windows in it. As I sit in my office, next to the welcome center of our YMCA, I have the opportunity to watch as our members go by; young adults, young families, kids of all ages, elderly people, people with canes, crutches, wheelchairs. Many of them wave to me as the go by, a quick hello. It is easy to see the physical attributes of the people that walk by, it is much harder to see their emotional attributes; for this, I must look harder. I can see the ones where the day has not gone as planned. I can see the ones that are having a difficult time. I can see the ones that are putting a smile on a face that would rather cry.
As I sit in my office next to the welcome center, I can see those who press with the ardors of hope. I see the others who faint with the strife. My door is open, a welcoming gesture; one that many people take advantage of. They come in, tell me their woes, share their troubles, share their grief. But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears, as I sit in my office next to the welcome center in our YMCA. I trust that God has an infinite plan. I trust that God has a plan for me, a plan for them.
Many times, I sit in front of my office next the welcome center in our YMCA. It is not good enough to just sit in my office and wait. I must go be amongst, amongst those that are hurting, amongst those that grieve.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road, and be the friend I can.
It really isn’t my office anyway, it is God’s office, He just lets me sit in it.
Being a chaplain is the most rewarding, painful, sometimes sad thing to be. I am humbled that I get to travel through life with people as they do the best they can to live it.
My prayer is that while I sit in my house by the side of the road, and be the friend that I can, I show people a bit of Christ along their journey.
Blessings,
I pray the day finds you well.
I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
Those who press with the ardors of hope,
and others who faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears—
Both parts of an infinite plan.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be the friend I can.
Sam Walter Foss
We have finished the remodel of our YMCA. My office is right next to the welcome center, people call my office the fish bowl. My office has a lot of windows in it. As I sit in my office, next to the welcome center of our YMCA, I have the opportunity to watch as our members go by; young adults, young families, kids of all ages, elderly people, people with canes, crutches, wheelchairs. Many of them wave to me as the go by, a quick hello. It is easy to see the physical attributes of the people that walk by, it is much harder to see their emotional attributes; for this, I must look harder. I can see the ones where the day has not gone as planned. I can see the ones that are having a difficult time. I can see the ones that are putting a smile on a face that would rather cry.
As I sit in my office next to the welcome center, I can see those who press with the ardors of hope. I see the others who faint with the strife. My door is open, a welcoming gesture; one that many people take advantage of. They come in, tell me their woes, share their troubles, share their grief. But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears, as I sit in my office next to the welcome center in our YMCA. I trust that God has an infinite plan. I trust that God has a plan for me, a plan for them.
Many times, I sit in front of my office next the welcome center in our YMCA. It is not good enough to just sit in my office and wait. I must go be amongst, amongst those that are hurting, amongst those that grieve.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road, and be the friend I can.
It really isn’t my office anyway, it is God’s office, He just lets me sit in it.
Being a chaplain is the most rewarding, painful, sometimes sad thing to be. I am humbled that I get to travel through life with people as they do the best they can to live it.
My prayer is that while I sit in my house by the side of the road, and be the friend that I can, I show people a bit of Christ along their journey.
Blessings,
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Dancing with God; seeing God in the everydayness of life
My new book "Dancing with God" is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Westbow Press. Please get one, let me know your thoughts.
Blessings,
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
God is a funny duck
Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
God is a funny duck. I am not trying to suggest that God is actually a duck. No, what I am suggesting is that God is always about a million steps ahead of what we are planning or doing and it always causes me to laugh when I finally catch up to something He has had in the works for quite a while.
We have been going through quite the remodel at the Clark County Family YMCA. We are almost done. During the remodel process we have had to put a few programs and services on hold as we began to be compressed into smaller spaces, as other spaces where being redone. Did I mention we are almost done with the remodel? Spaces have become more available which means programs and services are have become more available.
I had a meeting scheduled for quite a while with some people that really have a heart for the community that we call home. I wanted to talk about services and various offerings that we might provide. The people wanted to talk with me, but said it was a surprise and that I would understand once they revealed their heart. Did I mention that these people were from Rhapsody Church, the church at our YMCA?
I was sitting with some of my YMCA friends the other day. As I sat with Larry Whittlesey, Jeffrey Danes, and Bob Reichen, we talked of many things. One of the things we talked about was being a repository for services, classes…things people need. We talked of many things, but mostly we talked how the YMCA is uniquely positioned to be that “safe place” where people could come for help. We left the meeting, not deciding on anything but encouraged none-the-less.
Last night I had my meeting with Rhapsody Church; it lasted for about two hours. Long story short they wanted to see if together, the YMCA and Rhapsody could build a repository of services for people that the entire community could use. Classes ranging from parenting, nutrition, counseling services, grief services…A place where many partners could reside. A place where a person who needs help could find the services that they need, without searching many different places. It was quite a meeting and therefore the reason it lasted two hours.
Earlier that day Heidi Shenk (the Aquatics director) and I had gone to the hospital to visit a member who had suffered a stroke. We do that at our YMCA. I make hospital visits for those that say they would like a hospital visit. I took Heidi because she knew this person and I like to include staff whenever possible.
Later that day I called a member who had just lost a child. We talked for a long time. Actually, she did most of the talking. I do most of the listening as a chaplain. She is in a great deal of pain and was thankful that I took the time to call. She was also thankful that the YMCA had a chaplain to talk with. We will be having more conversations I am sure. She took my cell number so that she can call when the next wave of grief hits her and needs a friendly voice and a willing ear.
At the meeting that night I talked about providing a support group for those whose loved ones have had a major life change, like a stroke.
At the meeting I talked about the mother who had lost her child. I suggested a support group for people who are grieving.
God is a funny duck.
He had this whole thing in the works for a long time. He had many more people involved in this plan than I could have imagined.
As I dove home last night, I had a tear in my eye.
As I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on the traffic behind me, I could not help but see what He had been up to all this time. As my eyes turned forward again to watch the road in front of me, I could not help but wonder what He has planned next.
Today we are feeding about 600 kids. One of the sub-communities that is right next to our YMCA has a large proportion of kids that are on a school food program, they get their meals at their school. This week is spring break. Spring Break means there is no school. To these kids, spring break means there is no food. Today we are feeding them. We are partnering with Rhapsody Church to feed these youngsters.
A day in the life of the chaplain.
A day full of pain.
A day full of possibilities.
A day full of wonderment.
Blessings,
I pray the day finds you well.
God is a funny duck. I am not trying to suggest that God is actually a duck. No, what I am suggesting is that God is always about a million steps ahead of what we are planning or doing and it always causes me to laugh when I finally catch up to something He has had in the works for quite a while.
We have been going through quite the remodel at the Clark County Family YMCA. We are almost done. During the remodel process we have had to put a few programs and services on hold as we began to be compressed into smaller spaces, as other spaces where being redone. Did I mention we are almost done with the remodel? Spaces have become more available which means programs and services are have become more available.
I had a meeting scheduled for quite a while with some people that really have a heart for the community that we call home. I wanted to talk about services and various offerings that we might provide. The people wanted to talk with me, but said it was a surprise and that I would understand once they revealed their heart. Did I mention that these people were from Rhapsody Church, the church at our YMCA?
I was sitting with some of my YMCA friends the other day. As I sat with Larry Whittlesey, Jeffrey Danes, and Bob Reichen, we talked of many things. One of the things we talked about was being a repository for services, classes…things people need. We talked of many things, but mostly we talked how the YMCA is uniquely positioned to be that “safe place” where people could come for help. We left the meeting, not deciding on anything but encouraged none-the-less.
Last night I had my meeting with Rhapsody Church; it lasted for about two hours. Long story short they wanted to see if together, the YMCA and Rhapsody could build a repository of services for people that the entire community could use. Classes ranging from parenting, nutrition, counseling services, grief services…A place where many partners could reside. A place where a person who needs help could find the services that they need, without searching many different places. It was quite a meeting and therefore the reason it lasted two hours.
Earlier that day Heidi Shenk (the Aquatics director) and I had gone to the hospital to visit a member who had suffered a stroke. We do that at our YMCA. I make hospital visits for those that say they would like a hospital visit. I took Heidi because she knew this person and I like to include staff whenever possible.
Later that day I called a member who had just lost a child. We talked for a long time. Actually, she did most of the talking. I do most of the listening as a chaplain. She is in a great deal of pain and was thankful that I took the time to call. She was also thankful that the YMCA had a chaplain to talk with. We will be having more conversations I am sure. She took my cell number so that she can call when the next wave of grief hits her and needs a friendly voice and a willing ear.
At the meeting that night I talked about providing a support group for those whose loved ones have had a major life change, like a stroke.
At the meeting I talked about the mother who had lost her child. I suggested a support group for people who are grieving.
God is a funny duck.
He had this whole thing in the works for a long time. He had many more people involved in this plan than I could have imagined.
As I dove home last night, I had a tear in my eye.
As I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on the traffic behind me, I could not help but see what He had been up to all this time. As my eyes turned forward again to watch the road in front of me, I could not help but wonder what He has planned next.
Today we are feeding about 600 kids. One of the sub-communities that is right next to our YMCA has a large proportion of kids that are on a school food program, they get their meals at their school. This week is spring break. Spring Break means there is no school. To these kids, spring break means there is no food. Today we are feeding them. We are partnering with Rhapsody Church to feed these youngsters.
A day in the life of the chaplain.
A day full of pain.
A day full of possibilities.
A day full of wonderment.
Blessings,
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
A minimalist theology
Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.
Nose bleed question of the day.
Are we really looking forward to going to Heaven, or in the everydayness of our lives are we really more concerned with just staying out of hell?
This is the question that God woke me with yesterday morning.
I have been pondering this question.
If we are really looking forward to going to Heaven, our hearts are forming in a certain way. Thus, the actions that come out of our hearts with one set of motives. If all we are concerned with is merely staying out of hell, our hearts are forming in certain way. Thus, the actions that comes out of our hearts with another set of motives.
As I pondered this question, with tissue paper in hand, I was confronted with my own limitations.
I posed this question to some of the staff at our YMCA.
One of the staff, after sitting with it for a while said, “As a child I was very excited about heaven. But now, after all these years, after all the failures, all the mistakes, all the things that I have done wrong; if I am to be totally honest with myself I guess that when I think about it, I a really more concerned with just staying out of hell.”
Another staff member said, “If I stay out of hell, don’t I automatically go to Heaven? There isn’t a middle ground in-between is there?”
I told the staff that while there is a theology that has purgatory in it, a middle ground if you will. I do not hold to that theology. But what I am really talking about is the matter of the heart.
These are the things a chaplain gets to talk about with the people that call the YMCA home.
When I thought about it hard enough, wiping the blood from my nose occasionally. My thought process was. If I am really looking forward to going to Heaven, it is because I am truly in love with Christ and I know He is truly in love with me. That when I get to Heaven I will not be condemned for all the things that I got wrong in life, but rather I will be loved and accepted. If I am more concerned with just staying out of hell, it is because hell is a really bad place and I do not want to go there. My thoughts become, “what do I have to do to stay out of hell. What do I have to do to get a C-, if you will, a passing grade.
As I thought about the staffs answer about her concern with just staying out of hell, I was confronted with something that pastors talk about all the time, Grace. It is one thing to talk about Grace, it is quite another to truly feel it in your heart. You see this staff, after living a lifetime here on earth, had made mistakes, just like the rest of us. She was confronted with the fact that in her own self, she would never measure up, There was nothing she could do to be “good enough,” just like the rest of us.
This was no ethereal conversation. This was boots on the ground, a heart was broken by the realization that this person was thinking more about hell, and how to avoid it, then about Heaven and how great it will be.
I call this a minimalist theology, “What does one have to do just to stay out of hell.”
I am reminded of a monk. Brother Lawrence was a monk who had been relegated to kitchen duty. At the time he was not thought to have the intellectual prowess to actually do “Monk work” so he was in the kitchen. When Brother Lawrence made a meal, he made it as if he was making a meal for Christ. When he washed a plate, he washed it as if Christ was going to eat off of it. In fact everything Brother Lawrence did was as if he was doing it for Christ. Brother Lawrence did not do things, just to stay out of hell. No, in fact Brother Lawrence did not even think about hell, he thought about Christ and what it would be like to be with Him always. He thought about Heaven.
My prayer for today is,
Father, help me stay focused on You and not slip into minimalist theology. Give me Your words to give others that are confronted with the fact that they cannot earn their way into Heaven. Give me Your words to give others comfort and to know that You want to be with them, to love them, not to hurt them. That they have hope and a future.
Blessings,
I pray the day finds you well.
Nose bleed question of the day.
Are we really looking forward to going to Heaven, or in the everydayness of our lives are we really more concerned with just staying out of hell?
This is the question that God woke me with yesterday morning.
I have been pondering this question.
If we are really looking forward to going to Heaven, our hearts are forming in a certain way. Thus, the actions that come out of our hearts with one set of motives. If all we are concerned with is merely staying out of hell, our hearts are forming in certain way. Thus, the actions that comes out of our hearts with another set of motives.
As I pondered this question, with tissue paper in hand, I was confronted with my own limitations.
I posed this question to some of the staff at our YMCA.
One of the staff, after sitting with it for a while said, “As a child I was very excited about heaven. But now, after all these years, after all the failures, all the mistakes, all the things that I have done wrong; if I am to be totally honest with myself I guess that when I think about it, I a really more concerned with just staying out of hell.”
Another staff member said, “If I stay out of hell, don’t I automatically go to Heaven? There isn’t a middle ground in-between is there?”
I told the staff that while there is a theology that has purgatory in it, a middle ground if you will. I do not hold to that theology. But what I am really talking about is the matter of the heart.
These are the things a chaplain gets to talk about with the people that call the YMCA home.
When I thought about it hard enough, wiping the blood from my nose occasionally. My thought process was. If I am really looking forward to going to Heaven, it is because I am truly in love with Christ and I know He is truly in love with me. That when I get to Heaven I will not be condemned for all the things that I got wrong in life, but rather I will be loved and accepted. If I am more concerned with just staying out of hell, it is because hell is a really bad place and I do not want to go there. My thoughts become, “what do I have to do to stay out of hell. What do I have to do to get a C-, if you will, a passing grade.
As I thought about the staffs answer about her concern with just staying out of hell, I was confronted with something that pastors talk about all the time, Grace. It is one thing to talk about Grace, it is quite another to truly feel it in your heart. You see this staff, after living a lifetime here on earth, had made mistakes, just like the rest of us. She was confronted with the fact that in her own self, she would never measure up, There was nothing she could do to be “good enough,” just like the rest of us.
This was no ethereal conversation. This was boots on the ground, a heart was broken by the realization that this person was thinking more about hell, and how to avoid it, then about Heaven and how great it will be.
I call this a minimalist theology, “What does one have to do just to stay out of hell.”
I am reminded of a monk. Brother Lawrence was a monk who had been relegated to kitchen duty. At the time he was not thought to have the intellectual prowess to actually do “Monk work” so he was in the kitchen. When Brother Lawrence made a meal, he made it as if he was making a meal for Christ. When he washed a plate, he washed it as if Christ was going to eat off of it. In fact everything Brother Lawrence did was as if he was doing it for Christ. Brother Lawrence did not do things, just to stay out of hell. No, in fact Brother Lawrence did not even think about hell, he thought about Christ and what it would be like to be with Him always. He thought about Heaven.
My prayer for today is,
Father, help me stay focused on You and not slip into minimalist theology. Give me Your words to give others that are confronted with the fact that they cannot earn their way into Heaven. Give me Your words to give others comfort and to know that You want to be with them, to love them, not to hurt them. That they have hope and a future.
Blessings,
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