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Wednesday's Word: Single Sailing

6/20/2012

 
Cruise ships are full of activity:  meet the Shrek family for breakfast.  Learn how to Samba after lunch.  Play bingo before dinner. Smoke cigars.  Dance to Michael Jackson tunes after the midnight buffet.  Shop. Play cards.  Join a tournament.  Learn how to mix drinks.  Watch a movie. Climb a rock wall.  Get the picture?

What surprised me about this cruise was the “single and solo travelers'” get together.   There was one scheduled each day of my 7 day experience.  The place?  The bar. Single travelers can’t meet, it seems,
unless they are in a place that serves massive quantities of alcohol. There was no similar gathering for women, the military or hot sauce aficionados.  The meetings did not take place in the gym, the theatre or one of the ship’s numerous restaurants.  The singles met in the bar.  
 
I did not join the party.  I felt too much like a closet anthropologist, watching a species’ habits in order to report on them later. 

What do cruise ships, churches, and your maternal grandmother think that all singles want?  They all assume that we want to meet other singles—ultimately, so that we won’t remain single.  There must be more  to the single life than trying to get out of it.  

Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are feeling lonely, disconnected and burdened.  He promises us that we will find what we need in Him.  We won’t get a hook up, but we will learn about ourselves when we seek Him.  

Singles, it seems to me, need to feel connected to someone, to something greater, in order to feel alive and  valued.  We run the risk of being self absorbed and selfish in our interests, in the allocation of our talents, in  the use of our gifts and our time.  The world desperately needs committed singles. Those of us who do not have children have an almost unlimited amount of time to devote to our soup kitchens, our prisons, our hospitals, our nursing homes.  We can reach out to the lonely, the left out and the lost.

Our churches (and our cruise lines) have the right idea about connecting us, but not just to bars.  We need to connect to our destiny--and what a glorious adventure that will be.   

Bon voyage!


Wednesday's Word: Hope

6/13/2012

 
"Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake,
so the waves  swept over the boat.”  Matthew 8:24

Today has turned out to be  incredible.  It began with strong winds and dark clouds. Now the sky  is full of low hanging white cotton balls; azure blue waters roll by in seamless harmony.  I just want to sit and take it all in: Gaze at the sky. Be mesmerized by the clouds.  Hear God’s whisper along the wings of
the wind.

Don’t many of our days begin with calm and end in chaos?  We are on blue waters that suddenly threaten to engulf us—with no  warning, with no chance of escape, with no life guards on duty.  

That’s exactly what  happened to the disciples. There was no warning.  All of a sudden, the water that they trusted became the death that they feared.  Worse still, Jesus was sleeping—seemingly unconcerned with their plight.  

What do you do when the day has turned from sunny to stormy? From warm into wild?  I must confess that I am all too often like the disciples, who immediately entered panic mode.  I believe that God has forgotten me; abandoned me; left me to perish in the storm of sickness, the squall of failure, the tempest of broken dreams and lost loves.  We find ourselves drowning in the fierce waters of depression, despair and desolation. We don’t think that we can be saved.

But the story tells us otherwise.  It is precisely when we are afraid that the water to be stronger than our faith that Jesus walks towards us--holding out His hand, offering us His help.  He is ever near us to save us.  He will not let the waters overtake us.

How can I be sure of this?  Do I dare believe?  His story tells that I can be sure, that I can believe, and that He will save me. 

Tell the story:  You will be giving hope.  Tell the story:  You will be offering a life preserver to a drowning soul.

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Wednesday's Word: On Fire

6/6/2012

 
Once upon a time…
     In a galaxy far, far away… 
            
         Tell me a story, sister, so as to pass the waking parts of the night…

                In  the beginning…

All great stories introduce us to  wonder.  We are invited to  adventure, mystery and distant lands.  At the same time, all great stories also contain  elements of the familiar: the  faithful friend, the jealous retainer, the beautiful dreamer, the wicked  step-parent, the hateful villain.  Finally, the peasant becomes the princess; evil is defeated, and all live  happily ever after.  
God’s stories are no different: the bride will be rescued and taken to  the kingdom. The peasant will become a princess and we will live happily ever  after.  The evil that lurks in the  shadows and destroys all that is good and right in the world will be  defeated.  It will happen—because  the story of God tells me that this is so. 
          
Yet simply reading His stories is not enough.  I must be bold enough to tell and to live in His stories.   If I want to learn how to pray:  I must place myself in the Garden of Getsemane.   If I want to feel God’s love: I will put myself in Jesus’ arms and become  as His child, receiving His blessing.   If I want to experience His joy: I will stand next to Mary Magdelene was  she cries “Rabboni!”

If I ever wonder whether or not God cares for us,  we should place ourselves at the foot of the cross.   If I am feeling as if I’ve failed Him:  I will stand with Peter in the  courtyard and then run to Jesus from the shore. If I’m angry about injustice: I  will live in the story of the temple cleansing, understanding that God’s anger is for His own.   

I will find myself in God’s story.  I will see myself as a part of his  great drama.  I will live with  wonder, adventure, and hope in the happily ever  after.

The  story is told of the ancient desert fathers that Abba Lot went to see Abba  Joseph complaining that his spiritual disciplines rought little  satisfaction and less power.  According to the tale, he said, “Abba,  as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I  live in peace and as far as I can I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?”  Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands toward heaven; his fingers  became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, "If you will, you can become  all flame.” 
 
As we extend our hearts to God and place  ourselves in His story, let us become His flames: flames to encourage; flames to  strengthen our flagging faith;   flames to lighten another’s burden; flames to set the world on fire. 

Let our stories join with His in extending  light to a broken and dark and lonely world.

Light a fire today:   tell God’s story.  
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