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Wednesday's Word: Digital Divide

3/27/2013

 
"[The Love of God] is too good to believe; it is too strong, so we turn away."
Madeline L'Engle

My godsister and I were enjoying a leisurely and calorie-laden breakfast, catching up on each other's lives. 

I noticed a family of three at a nearby table: a mother and her two  pre-teen boys.  Instead of speaking to each other during the meal, each was immersed in his or her own personal digital device.  They did not speak. They did not laugh. They did not look at each other. 

Have we become so connected to technology that we can't even share a meal?  Do we treat God in the same way?  Do we forgo connection with Him for time in front of the television or video screen?
 
I serve a God who seeks intimacy, who wants us to share His life, His eternity, with us.  I worship a God who wants to hear my prayers, dry my tears and color my world.  The very rituals of my faith are ones that promote community, intimacy and connection.    

As we follow Jesus to the cross this week, may we never forget that His cross connects us to His heart--may we never be separated from Him.

Wednesday's Word:  A Suffering Savior, A Saving Faith

3/20/2013

 
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I have been studying the passion narratives in Mark this Lenten season so that I can retell the stories. Entering these stories has been gut wrenching.  Jesus bore all this for us?  How could people, including the religious establishment, have been so cruel?
"Some spit on Him..and beat Him." Mark 14:65

Jesus' agony.  Jesus' suffering. Jesus' absolute loneliness break my heart.  
"They  all forsook Him and fled."  Mark 14:50

His disciples left him to suffer, to be beaten, to be ridiculed, and to die alone.
"Even the temple police took Him and slapped Him." Mark 14:65

We want to turn our heads, we want to be like the disciples and flee for more pleasant  pastures as fast as our legs can carry us. 
"Now a certain young man having a linen cloth wrapped around his naked body, was following Him. they caught hold of Him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked." Mark 14:51-52


But the passion shouldn't allow us to turn our backs. We cannot turn away:  we
look in the face of the suffering Savior and we are able to face our own pain,
our own loneliness.  
 
May we reflect our suffering Savior:  Let us not look away.  Let us weep with the hurting, comfort the lonely and embrace the left out, just as our Savior did for us.


Wednesday's Word: It's Just Lunch

3/12/2013

 
PictureSunday best in the 70s
A few years back, my cousins and I found ourselves reconnecting at yet another funeral.  We caught up on our respective families and careers in the midst of mourning another loss.  We had all grown up together, and had shared memories of cutting Sunday school class or hanging out at our grandmother's dining room table. 

We decided to make our gatherings more deliberate. So we started meeting over lunch about once each month.  

Our monthly lunch was yesterday, and only one cousin was able to make it.  Numbers, or the lack of same, are never indicative of success or failure.  While enjoying the salad bar and a cup of filling soup the two of us talked about everything and nothing:  church, current projects and football.  We did not solve the sequestration problem or figure out how there would be peace in the Middle East.  No, it wasn't anything heavy.  After all, it was just lunch. 

I can't wait for next month. 

Friday's Fire: Ordinary Miracles

3/8/2013

 
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I recently  had the privilege of taking my 4 year old niece with me on a shopping  expedition.  My brother and sister-in-law needed a break (did I mention that she's 4?), so I volunteered to give them a few hours' respite.  With the exception of some choice words I exchanged with the car seat, we had a perfect auntie-niece expedition.
 
Together we went to the grocery store, walked the dog, explored the wonders of Target, and visited Grandma's house.  There was nothing extraordinary about the day--no special insights presented themselves.  We sang our way through the stores, let the dog enjoy a run and got cake at Grandma's. Our time together was simple and unplanned:  an everyday miracle.   

What about you?  Do you enjoy the miracles that present themselves each day?  A four year old's laughter, a whirl around the grocery store?  

May you enjoy the ordinary today, knowing that in each day, you will find a miracle--even in the aisles at Target.    


 

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