Saturdy, August 22

Today’s Readings: Psalm 24; 2 Samuel 24:1-2, (3-9) 10-25; Mark 12:12-17; Acts 28:11-22; Psalm 103

There are lots of different approaches people take toward life. Some of those approaches are obvious, and some are carefully nuanced. I learned from an early age that while there are lots of variations on themes, most folks line up in one of two camps. To use an old cliché, there are those folks who look at a glass half-filled and see it as half-empty; and then there are those who look at the same glass and see it as being half-full. So what accounts for why people look at exactly the same situation and come to totally different conclusions? Lot of things. One of the most important influences is one’s attitude. When I taught at the juvenile detention center, for instance, some kids would see their brush with the law as an important wake up call. These kids would often turn their life around almost immediately. Others saw their incarceration as the beginning of the end – figuring that since they now had a police record their future was bleak so they might as well give up. It was amazing how accurate the offenders’ predictions were when it came to their own futures! Paul’s words in today’s passage from Acts reminded me of the importance of one’s attitude. In looking at the challenges around him, Paul could have easily come to a “the glass is half empty” conclusion by figuring, “What’s the point? They’re just going to hem me and my ministry in no matter what I do.” He didn’t. Instead, he characterized all of the limitations around him as things that made him “a hostage here for hope” (Acts 28:20 from The Message). What an amazing phrase! This makes me wonder about your approach toward life. Do you tend to be (to use the language from Winnie the Pooh) an Eeyore person who constantly focuses on the negative; or are you a Paul person who can make the most out of whatever frustrations surround you? The answer to that question won’t be determined by the external events of your life; it’ll be determined within your head and heart. Til next time…

Friday, August 21

Today’s Readings: Psalm 80; 2 Samuel 23:1-17; Mark 12:1-11; Acts 28:1-10; Psalm 89:26-52

I was sitting with a church group recently as they were debating an issue of import. Like any important issue, the topic under discussion was complex and had political overtones. As the group processed the issue, they were hesitant to take action because they were worried the course of action might seem biased to some and might upset people. I was cast in the role of the observer that night, but as I listened I thought to myself: “Where along the way did we pick up the notion that our faith out to be comfortable and well received by all? When do we forget that the reign of God is going to be offensive to some and seen as something that must be silenced?” Let’s face it: there are many, many folks out there who cannot accept the Gospels’ assertion that God loves all people and desires to live in relation with all people. Sadly, some find this message totally offensive and reject its premise. No matter how hard we may try to make that message palatable, they will reject such a message outright. The words from today’s Gospel reading reminded me of the radical nature of the Gospel. Jesus himself reminds us of this when he quoted Psalm 118:22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (from the NRSV). So where are you at with all of this? Are you seeking to live out a faith that is completely safe and acceptable to all; or are you pursuing a Gospel that will shake things up and be rejected by some – ever some of the builders? Til next time…

Thursday, August 20

Today’s Readings: Psalm 144; 2 Samuel 22:21-51; Mark 11:27-33; Acts 27:39-44; Psalm 27

My journey toward wholeness was delayed tremendously by some of the messages I was sent as a young person who grew up in the church. That’s because I was told as a young person that it was not okay to be gay. As a result of that message, I went through my childhood relating to others by suppressing an important piece of my identity. I thought to myself, “If I could be perfect then other would have to love and accept me!” A funny thing happened. People did love and accept me – but their love and acceptance meant very little to me. That’s because I thought to myself, “Sure, they may say they are my friends now; but if they REALLY knew who I was, then they wouldn’t like me anymore.” The more I tried to suppress those pieces of myself that I thought were unacceptable to others, the angrier and more isolated I became. In fact, it wasn’t until I started the coming out process that I felt truly loved and accepted by others for the first time in my life. I imagine my experience paralleled David’s – for in today’s passage from 2 Samuel David noted: “God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before [God]” (2 Samuel 22:21 from The Message). As a pastor, I’ve dealt with a lot of people who think they have to edit their lives in order to be in relationship with God. They try leaving out the pieces of their journey – pieces that involve things like an addiction; an experience of abuse; or feelings they felt simply weren’t very Christian. In doing so, they developed a sort of love/hate relationship with God. On one hand, they professed a deep and abiding love of God. On the other hand, they seethed with resentment against God because they felt as if God didn’t love them for who they really were. Maybe you can relate to that. Maybe you’ve felt like you’ve had to censor your own life in order to be acceptable to God. If that’s the case, today I would invite you to do what David did: put ALL of the pieces of your life before God. If you do that, you might experience the incredible rush of being loved by God: not for who you pretend to be, but for who you REALLY are! Til next time…

Wednesday, August 19

Today’s Readings: Psalm 18:1-24; 2 Samuel 22:1-20; Mark 11:20-26; Acts 27:33-38; Psalm 18:25-50

I consider myself an amazing judge of character. I’ve had this gift for many years. It served me particularly well in the days when I worked in the juvenile corrections system since I often had to make decisions in working with offenders that could have put my life at risk. As good as my instincts were, I’ll never forget the time I work for several months with a guy named Steve. Steve was a hardened individual who had come from a critical and demanding family. He was one of the most negative people I had ever met. He never had a good word for anyone. Most days when I knew I had to work with Steve I would get a sickening knot in my stomach. As much as I am an optimist by nature, I went into every encounter with Steve expecting the worst. I was convinced there was no possibility of Steve ever changing. Then a funny thing happened. Over the course of the several months I worked with Steve, I detected a shift in his attitude. Slowly his criticisms began to drop away until suddenly one day I realized he actually said something positive. I was shocked. A transformation had taken place in the one place I thought it would NEVER occur. I was reminded of that incident when I read today’s Gospel reading from Mark – where Jesus was quoted as saying, “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you” (Mark 11:22 from The Message). I read that passage for years and thought the most unimaginable thing God could do would be to move mountains. Then I got older and realized that I thought it was even more impossible for God to move some hearts and change some lives – until I began to have experience after experience where that actually happened. Today – as you sit with the spirit of today’s Gospel reading – I would invite you to consider if there is someone in your life you have written off: someone’s whose transformation would seem as unlikely as moving a mountain. If so, invite God’s loving and transformative presence into the relationship and then take a step back and see what happens. The change may not happen overnight. Just don’t be too surprised when that change begins to take place. Til next time…