Post-traumatic Growth

Deacon's Corner

Post-traumatic Growth

Many of our hymns express God as “all-powerful” and “unchanging,” subtly urging us to consider change as “bad” and implying that God is responsible for all our misfortunes – or at least unable to prevent bad things from happening to good people. This attitude raises questions: If God is all-powerful, why is this world not perfect? If misfortunes are God’s will, why do good people suffer while evildoers prosper? Was it God’s will that millions died during the Covid pandemic? What did I do to deserve to suffer? Why do things change just when we get settled into a routine? Why are some people “born lucky” – white, male, American, Christian, etc. – while others are disadvantaged? What good is God? What good is faith?
Let’s turn this on its head. If the world were perfect, it would be pretty static and boring, and we would get lazy and flabby from lack of challenge. We can actually grow by facing adversity, from taking action when something wrong makes us angry, threatens us, or leaves us lonely and hurt. Great human developments mostly occur during times of crisis; this even has a name: “post-traumatic growth” which prompts things like new medications and medical procedures. Good can come from challenges and great growth happens when it’s needed most – sometimes when it’s least expected.
We simply do not live in a static, changeless world. At last week’s Second Saturday program, it was suggested that “Suffering is the inability to accept impermanence.” This wording seems a little extreme, but it certainly suggests that when we find ourselves overwhelmed by
misfortunes, we can find something new to make life worth living. The group leader mentioned the loss of her husband as devastating, but also opening her up to new possibilities. I thought of losing my own husband; we had worked together, played together, and prayed together for forty years, and everything in my world was different without him. There were two choices: wallow in misery or change things. It wasn’t easy to face the world as a “single” when I had never even lived or worked alone before, but, by “putting one foot in front of the other,” I found that I could grow into my new situation, learning new skills because now no one else did it for me. Life was good again.
The most important factor in post-traumatic growth seems to be the ability to connect with and gain strength from other people, like my brothers and sisters in this church, who provided the support and comfort which would have been lacking in a solitary existence. Illumined by such a loving church family, life presented new opportunities and new interests.
Being open and available to the love and support of family and friends is most important when it is hardest to do. Perhaps this is God’s plan for us. Perhaps we should trust God when it is hardest to have faith.

Lyn Pickhover, Trying to Stay Open

Household

Deacons Corner

Household

In many of his books and lectures, John Dominic Crossan distinguishes between two visions of God in the Bible, loving and just versus angry and violent. (Think Ten Commandments vs. the genocide of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament. Think Jesus of the gospels vs. the Book of Revelation in our New Testament. Think the historical Jesus and his followers against the reality of Rome and the collaborating Temple elite.)
Crossan frequently likens the Biblical God of justice and love to the head of a household who has to make sure everyone has enough in order for the household to run smoothly. Reading his recent book RENDER UNTO CAESAR, I thought of my own “household” and pondered how far its mutual support system reaches.
I’m a widow living alone. but still part of a familial household of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and assorted relations whom my mother-in-law used to call “in-laws and outlaws.” These are spread throughout New England, the United States, Europe, and even one in New Zealand. Each has something to contribute and would find a way to help in time of need. There are friends, some close and some far away, making me feel a part of the world around me. My church family, both the FFC and the wider church, contributes to spiritual needs and opportunities for service far beyond personal reach. My Westar family with members in many states and countries, provides intellectual stimulation well-grounded in progressive Christian principles. Community, state, and country, despite all their flaws, provide a dependable safety net both at home and when traveling. Other families, not often in contact, are still a great part of my life and who I am.
This is the household Jesus taught about, an expansive one of mutual love and justice, a help and a shield instead of a sword, there to protect when difficulties and even violence threaten to disrupt safety and comfort. There to give in good times and to receive when times are bad. Who is part of your household?

Lyn Pickhover, Householder

Colonial Marriage

My friend David is a retired UCC minister who writes books about Colonial Massachusetts, so I always come away from our times together knowing something I had not known before.  Last week we talked about Marriage, starting with his comment that in France all marriages are civil and performed at the local city or town hall.*  I added that when my daughter decided to be married by a minister friend, her fiancé’s mother, an official in the French department of agriculture, worried that her son’s marriage would not be valid if performed by a clergyman.  (A copy of the Massachusetts General Laws quieted her concern.)

This led to David expounding that in colonial Massachusetts, the clergy  – all men, of course  – were forbidden to perform marriage ceremonies.  “Why?” I asked, knowing David’s answer would be interesting as well as accurate.  The answer was simple: “Separation of Church and State.”  The colonists of most of the thirteen colonies were against the European model of the church and state being intertwined, and they wanted absolute separation of religious and secular activities in their communities.  In the future United States, marriage was a secular function, and the religious rite had no bearing on whether a marriage was legal or not.  Eventually, of course, this principle was softened to the point that now our Massachusetts Laws, like those of most of the United States, authorize clergy to perform legal marriages.  (This led to my tales of legal problems when couples decided to end their marriages, but that’s another story.)

Coming from a Yankee background, I cannot help but believe in separation of church and state.   (This means, of course, that religious institutions like ours must adhere strictly to the moral values they claim to espouse and act accordingly to sanction any leader or member who violates those strictures, even to the point of turning cases over to secular authorities.)

*N.B.:   The French Revolution ushered in that country’s strict adherence to separation of church and state.

Lyn Pickhover, Adamant

Welcoming Church

WELCOMING CHURCH

Our church vision statement proclaims that we are “A Community of Abundant Welcome to All, Growing Together in Christ, and Serving with Love.” That is who we aspire to be. I often describe my Franklin childhood as the only Protestant child in a Catholic family. When we went to St. Mary’s Church for family reasons, there was no doubt that I was an outsider. No sunlit sanctuary, no familiar hymns, just a lot of sitting, standing, and kneeling for reasons I did not know, accompanied by rote congregational responses I did not understand. I did not feel welcome and certainly did not comprehend why these practices gave my relatives so much comfort.
Some years later, my husband Brian and I looked for a church in which to raise our blended family. We started with my home church and looked no further because Brian found here something that he had missed in his Catholic upbringing.
I was home, comfortable in familiar surroundings and practices. My biggest fear was of introducing myself to a stranger who had actually known me as a small child. Brian, on the other hand, did not find the church so welcoming. Since he effectively “married into the church,” he missed the some of the usual assimilation process and was treated as “one of the family” from the moment he stepped into the church building. Sounds wonderful? Not really. He missed the powerful liturgy he had grown up with, and he had not yet learned the music that is so much a part of our worship. He liked the progressive theology, but had not learned our standard references. Even though the congregation treated him as one of their own, he still felt like an outsider. Sometimes he was even frustrated with me for not mirroring his enthusiasm for “Eureka!” insights that were just part of my childhood. I simply did not understand how hard it was to feel welcome in this different environment.
Fast forward to 2018 when I, a widow with children flown from the nest, left my renovated barn to return to my home town – or really, to my church home. It was my turn to be the outsider masquerading as an insider. I knew the old streets but not their present landmarks. My friends talked about people whom I had not seen since childhood. Things were sort of familiar, but not the same, and I sometimes felt like an outsider. I started to understand that “welcome” is not just letting you in the door and plying you with goodies after a wonderful sermon. I realized that eager sharing of beloved music and stories can actually make someone feel like an outsider if they do not have the background to appreciate them,
For this reason, I want to give newcomers an extravagant welcome of open arms, sincere affection, and an honored place at the table, but not overwhelm them with “insider” things we value so much but they are not ready to appreciate.

Lyn Pickhover, Trying to Get the Welcome Right

A Deacon's Observations on the Movie

I had not watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” for years and noticed three things anew. As a lawyer, I winced several times and waited for George Bailey, supposedly a genuinely good person, to be arrested for assault and battery. Oh, well! Apparently such physical attacks were more acceptable in the movies seventy-five years ago.

A second issue was the disrespectful treatment of the Baileys’ black servant. Again, the film is 75 years old, so maybe there has been a little progress.

My third observation was that the resolution to the hero’s problem was not a return to the status quo ante with the money returned to the rightful owner. Potter still kept money he knew was not his, and the community contributed to solve George’s problem. But was this justice? George and his neighbors remained victims of a selfish rich man. This struck me as a good parallel to parables and acts of Jesus where subjugated individuals banded together for safety in the face of oppression. So Biblical!

Lyn Pickhover, Justice-Seeker

Peter 4:8

What a world.....what a world! Said the Wicked Witch of the West, from the movie Wizard of Oz (like she knew anything about catastrophes), "How about a little fire, scarecrow?" We got that! WILDFIRES and FLOODS and PESTILENCE (murder hornets) - oh and did I mention EARTHQUAKES?
But! Would our God give us all of this without some degree of influence and skill ? Twice this year we have harnessed wealth and technology in order to leave the planet! Surely Gods forgiving nature should be passed along to us all and those that follow us. Give is part of forgive - it's that simple.

God has forgiven any times, when asked will you give?

Charity shall cover a multitude of sins - Peter 4:8

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

GENESIS 1-31

I am back from birth week (4th of July kind of steps on my toes, so I take a week off), and quite a week it was! Mow the lawn? NOPE. Water the flowers? DON'T THINK SO. How about a swim? JUST STEP OUTSIDE---SIGH😶😶😶

Before we resume crying over the weather (more moisture-not needed), can we just try a little perspective? Not hot or dry enough for you? How about some north western America. Or perhaps we're not wet enough for you? How about some northwestern Europe. Okay boomers, let's stop complaining and start doing the right things, and youngsters, YES YOUTH, have a part in this planet mess. Don't just be a 'KAREN' (oldsters, if you have to ask about KAREN you won't get it). Don't forget YOUTH, it's more your planet than the BOOMERS. YES, I know it's all of our mess, and for right now there is no other planet to go to. (GENESIS 1-31...God saw all that he had made and it was very good)

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Full On Summer

WOW...its mid July...full on summer...post-graduations, post-holidays...perhaps it's time to tap the brakes, slow down, catch the scenery as we go by (or it goes by us). Can't say I'm in love with the drenching tropical weather BUT, the grass couldn't get much greener -- AND as long as we're talking plant life; the rain has kept the pollen count down (can I get an AMEN from the allergy sufferers)!

Post COVID-19, we are all afflicted, house bound, nervous, consumed with medical jargon, (do you really care what company made your vaccine????), etc, etc, etc. Time for a deep breath (and hold it), count to ten, and exhale.....NOW enjoy the beautiful flowers of summer (see & smell); roll the windows down in your car; put some extra butter on that corn-on-the-cob; get up early and listen to the birds at sunrise.

To him who in the love of nature holds communion with her visible forms , she speaks a various language. BRYANT

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacon

Proverbs 6-6.8

Deacon's Corner

Summertime and the living is EASY! Unless you are a farmer. Have you thanked a farmer recently? Franklin Farmers Market every Fri noon-6pm...all summer long. While you're there, you could stop at the front porch of FFC for a little chit chat, some kibbitzing, or maybe shoot the breeze (if there is a breeze). Maybe share some of the summer bounty...DON'T FORGET THE FRANKLIN FOOD PANTRY!

Proverbs 6-6.8 - Go to the ant, consider it's ways It has no 0verseer, yet it stores it's provisions in summer.

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Fatherhood

A baptism 😁😁😁 Welcome Lorenzo! With Father's Day close at hand and Mother's Day not too distant in the rear view mirror, what better moment for some family moment memories - My dad taking all us boys ice- skating at the MDC ice-rink in Braintree, and then laughing hysterically as one-by-one we proceeded to take out just about each skater at the at the rink with a slip, trip, or fall. I never saw him laugh so hard. While we never had a bob-sled, he did fashion a bob-sled course in our backyard complete with banked turns that were icy, fast, and dangerous. My 5 year old sister crashed in the first turn (it took stitches in her face and some tears from Dad) . And lastly, HOCKEY - where Dad made the protective equipment (leg pads, goalie gloves ,etc) but somehow I still managed to break a front tooth 😆😁. I think he took it worse than I did. FATHERHOOD....NOT FOR EVERYONE....NOT EVEN SOLOMON....1 KINGS 16-28

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Deacon's Corner

IS IT ME OR IS IT HOT in here? (in the deacons corner). Summer and everything that means Summer - GRADUATIONS, WEDDINGS, HOLIDAYS, MOTHER'S DAY, FATHER'S DAY.... had enough? How about pollen count, insects, yardwork, birthdays....EEEaaggghhh!!!!!!! OKAY, OKAY , OOOKAY, IT'S NOT THAT BAD! Doesn't the beer - ice tea - lemonade - taste better when the mercury hits 90? Do you really want your children in public school for more than 12 years? Is there a better backdrop for wedding photos than God given flora??? Don't even try to take away Father's Day!!!!! As for pollen count (see God given flora-above), insects....It could be worse (we aren't in cicada country). Lawn mowing...God giveth....man taketh away...and birthdays...everybody has one😁. To everything there is a season!

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

To Everything There is a Season

IS IT ME OR IS IT HOT in here? (in the deacons corner). Summer and everything that means Summer - GRADUATIONS, WEDDINGS, HOLIDAYS, MOTHER'S DAY, FATHER'S DAY.... had enough? How about pollen count, insects, yardwork, birthdays....EEEaaggghhh!!!!!!! OKAY, OKAY , OOOKAY, IT'S NOT THAT BAD! Doesn't the beer - ice tea - lemonade - taste better when the mercury hits 90? Do you really want your children in public school for more than 12 years? Is there a better backdrop for wedding photos than God given flora??? Don't even try to take away Father's Day!!!!! As for pollen count (see God given flora-above), insects....It could be worse (we aren't in cicada country). Lawn mowing...God giveth....man taketh away...and birthdays...everybody has one😁. To everything there is a season!

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Happy May

Deacon's Corner

Happy May to you all and wasn't it nice to attend Sunday service in short sleeves. Dare I say it, could it be time to break out the fans? Deacon Steve, do we have enough outlets? Just kidding - if we can accommodate Christmas surely we can accommodate an early heatwave! Enough already with the weather. Is it me, the history buff in me, or does any one else feel Biblically more informed after listening to Lyn Pickhover ? NICE JOB LYN! A bigger crowd is coming in the coming weeks and months ahead but Covid is still around with its various unravelings, and summer is not amenable to headcounts. So don't get down about the quick return of the faithful, consider the task of the apostles, then listen to some song birds, and appreciate the ease of current communication (as opposed to preaching Christianity to Greeks in Hebrew.) WELCOME BACK MARLAYNA!

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Psalms

Too early for Father's day (too easy also), alas too late for Mother's day, but I have this parental, caretaker dilemma - I have this BEE. I mean big BIG BIG BEE! The bee flies back and forth in front of my front door with the regularity of a Coldstream Guard in front of Buckingham Palace. Why you ask? Last year I encountered a bees nest while trimming the bush (yes I got stung, repeatedly). I got an exterminator to remove the nest (football size). Now flash forward to Spring 2021, is he lost ? Is he a beacon? Is he protecting last year's nest site? I know there are some parental like roles here: capture and relocate ? ask for some non lethal ideas from the exterminator? do nothing and wait ? stay tuned

PSALMS: What is mankind that you are mindful of them human beings that you care for them?

Bob Miller, writing on behalf of FFC Deacons

Mark 9 : 2 - 9

Mark 9 : 2 - 9; Jesus is Transfigured on the Mountain (This commentary based on: NCV, NRSV & NLT (LASB) Versions of the Holy Bible)

I willingly stretch to know better, the one who knows; however today's study in 'truth' raises a few questions.

Do I have any excuse for my unbelief? Unlike the disciples who were often confused during Jesus' life and ministry, let alone his death and resurrection, can I advance my own lot, my Church-community or this needy world by 'having' God's revealed word?

If you look at the reading, do you wonder why Jesus singled out the three disciples to go up the mountain? Do you feel or sense your chosen-ness? Am I seeking enough mountain-time closeness to God? Are you recalling that Moses and Eiljah got closer to God during mountain encounters? Why might Jesus choose James-John-Peter to reveal his purity and glory? Are you ready to understand and accept similar greater truths? Like the three, are you and I called to Jesus' inner circle, having heard his clarion call? Have you had spiritual awakening(s) like Rev. Marlayna mentioned in her lesson this week? Was seeing sunlight through dense fog on the distant shore of Sebago Lake, reason for hope while pleading with God, after rejection from a former spouse? Can you associate very closely with Peter's words or attempts to react toward his tendencies and just "do something", when encountering the divine? Do I move toward what's comfortable when buttons or boundaries are pushed? Had you been a Jew and disciple, how do you think you would've reacted to being exposed to the fulfillment of what your people had been anticipating for generations? Bringing it back to the present, are the many voices we hear today actually helpful? Some may be, but aren't we better off holding those voices up to the light of God's revelation and Biblical perspectives? Would you or I be able to stifle our exuberance, and do as Christ asked those 3, that is to swear to secrecy and not speak of what took place up that hill before grasping Jesus' power over death and authority as King over all? Would you say that the survival of the wider-Christian-church for 2,021 yrs. shows at least marginal success? Shall we, both individually and as a body engage in propagating its 'love - grace - mercy' message?

So many questions; can I bring the vast and open-ended as well as the smallest details, shortcomings or imperfections of my existence to this God of our understanding? Do you believe that people can change, Or in transformation, Or our ability as a culture to root out racism, Or in miracles? What are you thinking God would have you contribute or our church-community become?

Peace, no questions asked! It's been a blessing and a pleasure as my Deacon service comes to a close, Guess who?

Jeremiah 29: 12-13 & Acts 17: 22-28

Jeremiah 29: 12-13 & Acts 17: 22-28 "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." (Jer. 29: 13; New Language Translation).

I'm noticing something new on my favorite Christian broadcasting medium since the first of the year; that is they're pausing fifteen seconds between shows or pieces before starting into the next one. Now of course I know that in our current day of receiving information we absolutely have the option of pausing as we see fit, but do I pause and look for God? Admittedly, I was tempted to contact them [WEZE 590 AM] in case they weren't aware of their short void of sound, but in my own life, do I stop often enough to look or listen for His still small scene or voice? It's 5:35 am in my world as I attempt to put these few sentences together, which I find cathartic and cherish with fervor, but I just received a text. Am I 'that' available to the world or do I value more my connection with my proclaimed Creator God? How earnest am I about finding Him anyway? The Message tells us that "when you get serious.... ...you won't be disappointed." (v. 13).

A few days back, I visited at a distance of course, Covid-infected family and failed to adequately acknowledge the 1 year-old grandson, daughter Astrid, held in the window. She later told me, "Papa, Abel cried when you left." Truth be known, I was preoccupied with my timing and fetching a tool I came to get, rather than taking between 6 and 10 seconds to look at the gift that God was giving me in the moment, smile big and make a silly hugging gesture that would likely have made the little guy squeal with delight. And, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on birds at the gathering on Zoom after worship this past Sunday. Folks' attention to many details around our feathered amigos reminds me of God's care for sparrows and the hairs on my brain container, meaning all the elements of my circumstances. Like the Israelites that Jeremiah was encouraging: despite our difficult times, we needn't despair - - for we have the privilege of prayer and God's presence and grace. I trust that the little guy will forgive me and you'll keep looking, because neither strangeness, abuse, oppression or sorrow can sever our fellowship with God. Our free will is not in question here, and His desire is that we seek and find of our own volition....are my eyes, ears, heart and mind open to the possibilities He presents?

God is never far from you, may we finely tune our awareness of the Blessings He sends our way! Kevin T. for FCC's Deacons.

Reflection on Matthew 5: 43 - 48

Matthew 5: 43 - 48 " .... love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this you will be true children of your Father in heaven.

He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. (vv. 44, 45; NCV Bible)

I seriously doubt it makes any difference to God whether we are good or evil, relative to His blessing us with sun and water, meaning He's going to do it anyway. How are you doing with your enemies? This week's scripture and message from Rev. Schmidt hit me smack between the eyes, with or without Covid or our nation's unrest. My enemy-list is down to four, that I care to admit to; AND may the meditations of my mouth, heart, mind and keyboard be acceptable in your sight, oh God, our rock and redeemer! Personally, I tend toward indifference or flat out apathy toward my adversaries, which usually allows me to not have to engage. After all, I think: at least this stance keeps me neutral, rather than perceived in any sort of overt aggressive judgemental manner. Not that I haven't heard of praying for one's enemies before, but I'm seeing [that] in light of our Pastor's words around living out our lives as God would have us do, quite differently in this context. Is my / your identity really in God?

Truth be known in my four cases (relationships), sincere praying for them will go a long way toward replacing my self-preservation mode! My prayers have the potential to enable me to turn the other cheek with serenity rather than anxiety or apathy. In the older of the 4-cases, my knowledge and association with recovering from substance abuse encourages me not to try to make amends to one where harm will result. However praying for them and believing they're doing the 'best' they can, not only eases my conscience but keeps them from living rent-free in my head. Do you have any relationships from the past that steal from your present? In a perfect world, how would God have you live that out? The other three are alive and kicking in my sphere! I'll spare you the details here, but my understanding of Jesus' methods are a distant cry from how I'm not loving my enemies. It, however, is a new day; I just stepped out to view the sunrise, did you catch a glimpse? - t'was glorious! Prayer for those who hurt me /you is a great place to start. Who knows, my giving to God, those whom I'm currently unwilling or able to contend with might yield a positive surprise. I do know that the status quo is yielding zilch, Leviticus 19:18 advises that we not seek revenge or hold grudges and the voice of a bygone mentor reminds me: that if nothing changes, nothing changes.

May God be merciful to us because we show mercy to our enemies.... His peace & mine, Kevin for FCC's Deacons.

Mark 1: 4-11

Mark 1: 4-11 "John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him; and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (vv. 4-5; NRSV).

Now in those days, baptism was a means of signifying conversion to Judaism of folks of non-Jewish ethnicity. So the radical concept of similarly baptizing one who was already Jewish as a symbol of their resolve not to continue in some wrongdoing, was a real departure from custom. There's that CHANGE idea again, trying to get me off auto-pilot and eject me out of my time-honored comfort zone! Who needs New Year's Resolutions, I'm delighting in Rev. Marlayna's question of: " what am I being called to leave behind, as we hit refresh on the calendar?"

Are you hearing me on this note, i.e. does anything come to mind or heart that you would rather not drag too far into 2021? I'm confident I've got enough of this fodder for both of us. For starters, I'm working on 'procrastination', one of the things I know should be changed. I do know that seeing several unfinished issues completed will foster having the clear conscience before God that: 1 Peter 3:21 promises. Hmmm..., having said that, I wonder if [IT] is at all related to my erratic sleeping pattern these days? A second arena is an employer relationship I have where I go back and forth on turning the other cheek and the idea that being Christian doesn't mean being a doormat. What's my part in this dynamic? Are your boundary setting parameters usually crystal clear? I fall back on the adage that s/he should know; the truth is they don't necessarily know and I'd lessen my angst about it by waiting (without anxiety) or admitting my lackadaisical limit-setting. Yet a third thing to leave back there in the grips of 2020 is my treatment of a relationship whereby I presume "they" act or speak in such and such a way due to whom they were reared by. In that case, I am so unimpressed that I easily dismiss them without giving them a chance; but we are all, God's children and deserve dignity and respect - - a lot like the grace He grants me! A bottom line (not to be confused with THE Bottom line) is that God isn't finished with me, that transformation is possible and I'd be wise not to bring the 'old' me along.

We can take, as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as we'd have it, trusting all will be well if we surrender to His will. Blessings, Kevin T.

Matthew 2: 1-12

Matthew 2: 1-12 "When it was time to leave, they [wise men or royal astrologers or magi] returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. " (v. 12; NLT - Life Application Study Bible).

Have there been any ways that Jesus has affected the direction of your life? Am I writing to one who has believed in God as creator as far back as s/he can recall? Are you a relatively new convert trying to get a grip on why the Bible and mode of thinking entices so many and remains relevant? Or are you simply a 'seeker' of something of substance that you can identify with, hold onto and give meaning and purpose to your existence? I don't intend any condescension using the word simple and cannot easily satisfy those 3 categories, nor the possible myriad of levels of our pursuit of a power greater than ourselves! So, I leave that to the Spirit of our living God, and this corner then, attempts to keep the focus on the passage +/or message of the week, as it has impacted or is affecting my mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Are you tracking with me? Do you and I regularly break and try to equate God's possible plan, to events, conversations or encounters that cross our path(s)? Does God speak to you in dreams, like the wise men?

What is it with the appeal of the power of denial ? My Oxford dictionary uses synonyms of: disavowal of truth, repudiation, disclaimer & rejection for defining this thing that is far too easy to fall into. My experience is that being swept up into disavowing the truth is usually subconscious oblivion until the emotional toll awakens enough to rid myself of [that] pain. That oblivion is way easier than the work of getting at the truth, but I for one am elated, that the 3 traveling sages failed to deny the still-small-voice from their dream and went home by another route. Prayer: Might you and I try an alternate path in our apathy or fear toward dealing with a difficult situation or person, intuitively taking our gifts into account? In the case of the 'new-seeker', I recall encouraging middle-schoolers to find 30 seconds a day for a week to listen or speak to God, or read His word; then 40 seconds next week; 50 the third, and increase by 10 secs. weekly until reaching 20 or so minutes daily AND if their life hadn't improved they might abandon their new habit, knowing they had done their part to enlist God's Spirit, understand Christianity a bit better and consider trying again a year later because it works for many.

We may have denied recent signs or voices, resulting in a fatality and disruption of governance on the day of Epiphany this week, but God is still in charge. Epiphany remains possible; "God is King over the nations. The leaders of the nations meet, ..the leaders of the earth belong to God." (Psalm 47: 8-9).

Like the Magi may we follow God's voice....& wear the belt of truth honorably! .....Deacon Kevin

Isaiah 61: 1-4 & 8-10a

Isaiah 61: 1-4 & 8-10a      "The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God."  (v 10a; Extreme Teen Bible, New Century Version).
           
          The magi haven't gotten to us yet, but I've received plenty of gifts already! Did you get anything or 'all' you wanted for Christmas? The unexpected presents just keep on coming; no wonder Christian thinking encourages us to express gratitude for all that comes to us. I seriously doubt I could bear the mental / emotional stressors on my own. Are you feeling me, on this? The monumental week I've had brings 1st Thessalonians 1:6 to mind where: "you suffered much, but still you accepted the teaching with the joy that comes from the Holy spirit." This week, my dear Rev. Esther told us of some less important and often overlooked parts (gifts) of the Christmas narrative that came to be for individuals, via staying the course, that is: 'faith'.
          In my sphere were: a study's conclusion needing commitment, which is best accomplished via Biblical truths; being shown how my passive style isn't necessarily benefiting a situation with an older American I assist; supporting a daughter about to be let go by her employer; the opportunity to reach out to a niece caught in a spiritual battle that tears one's heart out; and recognition of my confusion and difficulty with tactfully dealing with one I find haughty, while also seeking [my] approval. The opportunities are many and varied, - may the words of my [our] mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be acceptable prayer, oh Lord, my rock & my Redeemer.
          My earthly father used to say, "some day, it's gonna rain on your shoulders" and a mentor Dr. Ray encouraged: to use the truth and insight you glean to minimally help your families. Now personally, I think I'm pretty conscious of not offering unsolicited advice. Yet I can pray, and make the distinction of not thinking or saying: "all I can do is pray", but instead know that what I can do is pray. Perhaps, consider where you're at on this idea? Know that, through no effort of my own, but rather the gift that Jesus is, is my source of happiness and why I rejoice in God.  So, when I'm not leaning on my own understanding, I'm open to actively waiting on His timing and His possibly using my hands, feet, mouth or willingness regardless of what this life serves up for '21.
          May God's light shine on your 2021 & may you thrive rather than merely survive, Deacon Kevin; call me if I can be of help.